2 yrs on, kin of Uri martyrs fail to get promised jobs

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 20

Even after two years, the state has failed to fulfil the commitments it made to the kin of Uri martyrs.

Seventeen soldiers had attained martyrdom in the pre-dawn terror attack in the Uri area of Baramulla district on September 18, 2016. Among them, two — Subedar Karnail Singh and Havildar Ravi Pal — were from Jammu.

The then PDP-BJP government had promised that one family member of each martyr will be provided a government job, but nothing has been done so far in this regard.

The issue of unfulfilled promises was raised two days ago at a function to install a statue of martyr Ravi Pal at Sarba village in Samba district.

“The then government had promised to provide government jobs to the kin of the Uri martyr,” said Ashish Sharma, a local resident, regretting that except promises, nothing had been done for the family.

Asking the state authorities to fulfil the promises, Manjit Singh, former minister and Congress leader, said a “discriminatory policy” was being adopted by the successive state governments against the martyrs of the state.

Governments in other parts of the country sanctioned adequate ex gratia for the families of the martyrs of their respective states, but J&K has failed to keep its promises.

“It was announced that a government job would be provided to a member of each martyr’s family,” said Chander Parkash Ganga, former BJP minister and local MLA. He, however, shifted all blame on the BJP’s erstwhile coalition PDP for creating hurdles in providing jobs to the kin.

The then Uttar Pradesh government, headed by Akhilesh Yadav, had sanctioned Rs 20 lakh, Jharkhand Rs 11 lakh, Odisha 10 Rs lakh and pension, Maharashtra Rs 15 lakh and Bihar Rs 15 lakh for the Uri martyrs of their states. But the J&K Government had sanctioned a paltry sum of Rs 5 lakh for its martyrs.