PPSCF put forward their demands before Chairperson Delimitation Commission.

SHYAM SOOD
RAJOURI JULY 07 :--Pir Panjal Senior Citizens Forum (PPSCF), representing border districts of Rajouri & Poonch, in a memorandum forwarded to the Chairperson of Delimitation Commission has put forward their demands on behalf of citizens of Pir Panjal Region for perusal, considerations, and redressal which are pending over the long past.
PPSCF is an amalgam of ex-bureaucrats, academicians, thinkers, lawyers, and intellectuals representing both the districts.
In the memorandum, PPSCF said the region is war-battered geographical unit of the UT of J&K. The region has also suffered pangs of partition by way of the gory war of 1947-48 and the partition of the land, resources, and the people raising down the entire fabric particularly of economy, education, trade & commerce pushing the region backwards for the rest of the time.Whatever little remained after the devastating circumstances of 1947-48 war and partition, got annihilated in the consecutive wars of 1965,1971 and the long unending bout of the militancy since early nineties.
Memorandum further read there seems to be no effort for rehabilitation, reconstruction of the dismantled region over the past 70 years which could support the region to regain its strength to pace up with the rest of the country.
As a result of neglect during post-war period, the region and her people, especially youth, remained deprived of all the opportunities of participation and progress in education, jobs, and overall exposure to new era developments resulting in a large number of unemployed youth.
The Hon’able Commission may find it strange to note that since independence, the region couldn’t have its participation in central services, higher government jobs, projection of tourism potential, tapping of abundant water resources, rail link to other parts of the country, air transport facilities for any emergency on borders due to incessant shelling, lack of quality education, and absence of proper facilities of competitive examinations and host of deprivations.
To make aware about the facts about both the districts PPSCF in the memorandum said……
Rajouri district has around 8 lac population with 4 Assembly constituencies i.e one member representing approximately 2 lac people in the Assembly.
Similar situation is in Poonch district with 3 constituencies for more than 6 lac people.
The entire region (Rajouri-Poonch) with around 8 lac souls (could be voters) don’t have representation in the Lok Sabha (LS).
The non- representation of the region with cumulative population of around 14 lac is not justifiable in comparison to Ladakh region which has a separate LS seat for less than 3 lac population.
The absence of representation in LS and with inadequate representation in Legislative Assembly, the region is still deprived of the basic necessities required for the development of any region.
Memorandum further read being situated on Indo-Pak border, the region is only in the country that has served a battleground frequently with devastatingly adverse but unspoken effects.
PPSCF DEMANDED…..
A separate seat of Member of Parliament is carved out to provide effective representation in the LS. At least 2 more Assembly segments one each in both the districts for the effective representation of the people.
PPSCF also demanded that while carrying out the delimitation process the secular fabric of the region be kept intact.