Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 18 : Jammu and Kashmir Aam Aadmi Party unit president and MLA from Doda, Mehraj Malik on Sunday visited Poonch district and met the families who were affected in the Pakistan shelling during the heightened India-Pakistan tensions.
Speaking to ANI, Malik criticised the BJP-led Centre, alleging that the victims of the Pakistan shelling have not been compensated yet. He further demanded that the people who lost their lives in Pakistan shelling be accorded the status of "shaheed"
The AAP MLA said, "People who lost their lives in the war have not yet been compensated and people who suffered losses have also not been compensated. We live in a country which is a powerful country... And this has been in going on in Jammu and Kashmir for several years, thousands have lost their lives but they were never given a status of shaheed..."
"Now, they (govt) are not compensating the losses suffered, they are only giving Rs 20,000. When you will see houses which glasses have been damaged are worth lakhs; the shutters of people's shops are broken, that is worth lakhs. If you cannot stand with the people, then how will the people fight the war," he added.
Calling the Central government's policy "ineffective" and "unsuccessful," the lone AAP MLA of J-K claimed that 900 bunkers built by the Home Ministry are not in good condition.
He said, "I have written a letter to the Union Home Ministry for bunkers. I have clearly written that Rs 415 crores they spent on 900 bunkers are not good. They have not been built in a better way. People who are building tanks inside their houses are better than that. If every house is given Rs 1-2 lakh then people can build a bunker to save their lives. But the government's policy has always been ineffective and unsuccessful."
Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday, the Indian Army carried out a door-to-door outreach in villages near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch, which were severely affected by recent Pakistani shelling.
As part of the relief efforts, Army jawans distributed essential supplies including medicines and ration to the residents, while also interacted with them to understand their needs.
On May 17, J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said the administration is working on a comprehensive plan to seek centre's help to rehabilitate residents affected by Pakistan's shelling.
"Many houses and commercial properties here have been damaged due to the adversarial shelling. Today I visited those places with a senior administrative officer, saw the situation with my own eyes, and interacted with the people to understand their problems... Based on the administration's assessment, possible immediate assistance has been provided. A few people are left to be rehabilitated. But I think this help is not enough. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and senior officers will jointly prepare a comprehensive plan for the damage caused. Based on this, we will request the Indian government, and rehabilitate the remaining people," he said.
Intense shelling by Pakistan during the recent conflict with India has left a trail of destruction in the border villages and districts across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, with locals suffering damages to their houses and livelihood.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary visited border villages near the LoC in Rajouri district and interacted with residents affected by recent hostilities.
The visit followed the ruthless Pakistani shelling in the civilian areas of Jammu and Kashmir post Operation Sindoor, which was conducted on May 7. The operation was conducted in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, including a Nepali national.
Meanwhile, the locals residing in the border villages demanded that the government compensate them for the damaged houses. They also urged the Indian government "not to spare Pakistan" for its misadventures.
In the early hours of May 7, the Indian Armed Forces conducted strikes at nine terror hideouts deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the 'Operation Sindoor'.