Kargil martyrs’ kin yet to get promised aid

Kuldeep Kour, mother of Sepoy Devinder Singh of 8 Sikh who was killed in the battle for Tiger Hill on July 6, says that had she an idea about the state government’s intentions, she would have herself raised a memorial in the memory of her son. Eager to hold on to her son’s memory, she now always carries a photograph of his along with him.

Against the promised amount of Rs 5 lakh as cash compensation, none of the martyrfamilies have received more than Rs 2 lakh from the state government. There are about 20 families in the areas along the International Border in Jammu whose sons laid down their lives in the Kargil war. When, during the funerals of the martyrs, a few state government ministers visited these areas for the first time, they had promised to meet the simple demands of people for preserving memory of their heroes. But only in words.

Family of Sepoy Janveer Singh of 8 Sikh in village Sarthi Khurd, Hirangar, had been assured by Surjit Singh Slathia, Minister for Animal Husbandry, that the school would be upgraded and village road would be resurfaced. “Nothing has happened”, regrets Shinkar Singh, father of the martyr.

Villagers of Plouta in Ramgarh, who had come to attend the funeral of Sepoy Gurdip Singh, killed on July 6, had been assured by the minsiter that road to the funeral place will be macadamized and the primary school will be upgraded. In Anandpur Camp, family of Sepoy Rattan Chand of 12 JAKLI hadbeen assured that a primary school would be opened in the village, a memorial would be raised and roads resurfaced. The promises were reiterated in the official press notes too issued on the days of funeral to give publicity to the Ministers’ visits.

In some cases, where the ministers could not spare time to attend funerals, the promises were made by Deputy Commissioners. Gurnam Singh, father of Sepoy Balwinder Singh of village Kotli in R S Pura, had been assured by the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, that a gate would be erected in his son’s memory. Nothing had been heard from the DC ever since.

What has given some hope for future to the families of these martyrs living in the backward areas of R S Pura, Samba, Vijaypur and Suchetgarh is the promptness shown by the Army authorities in paying the relief. Satisfied with the Central Government too, they, however, say that it has not yet fulfilled the offer to give them plots of land. Widows of the martyrs complain of a long ordeal for a telephone connection.“I have three children in a boarding school at Pathankot and need a telephone to keep in touch”, says Nirmala Devi, wife of Sepoy Dev Raj Sharma. “Despite depositing the stipulated amount with the authorities long time back, nothing has been done”, she complains.

Living in neglected border areas under the constant shadow of Pakistani fire, the residents had hoped that the sacrifice by their youth would cajol the state government to provide them with the basic facilities denied for long. But the Government has apparently not been moved.