Paltry relief irks border villagers

Govt aid less than amount spent on clearing debris of damaged houses, say J&K residents

- FAYAZ WANI @ Srinagar

"MY house was completely damaged in the Pakistani shelling. I spent ₹15,000 to clear the debris, but surprisingly, the government gave me only ₹10,000 as compensation," said Mohammad Maqbool Khan, a resident of Sonora, Kralapora, close to the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

He said the shelling totally damaged his house, and he incurred a loss of ₹25-30 lakh. "Top civil and police officials also visited our village and saw the damage to my house and other houses in the village," Khan said.

He is stunned by the paltry compensation: "I don't know what to say. I am speechless."

Over a hundred houses and structures were damaged in Pakistani troops' mortar and artillery shelling in border areas of Tangdhar and Karnah in Kupwara district and Uri in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. In the Parampilla village of Uri, which is close to the LoC, the house of the sister of Syed Mustafa was badly damaged in Pakistani shelling.