The Hindu : National : Sonia pledges her support to rehabilitation of Kashmir quake victims

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 11, 2005

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Sonia pledges her support to rehabilitation of Kashmir quake victims

Shujaat Bukhari

Becomes first high-ranking leader to visit Teetwal close to PoK "I have come to share your pain and grief. You have faced the worst days but with great courage"

SRINAGAR : The Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday concluded her two-day visit to the quake hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir. She pledged support for complete rehabilitation of thousands of earthquake victims saying that whole nation was behind them.

Ms. Gandhi, who visited remote Tangdhar area in Kupwara district was greeted by thousands of people en route. By visiting Teetwal, the last village facing Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) on the other side she became the first top politician of the country to go so close to LoC.

The Congress president visited as many as 20 villages and drove to the last point near LoC and other hamlets which were worst hit by the quake. She gave a patient hearing to them especially women and children. The affected families narrated their stories to Ms Gandhi and gave an overview about the relief and rehabilitation process. "I have come to share your pain and grief. You have faced the worst days but with great courage", she told them. Ms. Gandhi said that relief and rehabilitation work was going on well and no family which has been affected will be left unattended. The Congress president told the waiting villagers that whole nation was with them. Ms. Gandhi was accompanied by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC general secretary Ambika Soni and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti. The major demand which came from the survivors was that many families were living in one house and have been given relief as per the rule applying to one family. They said if four families lived separately in a house should be treated likewise. "They demanded a special package for the same which involves hundreds of crores of rupees", said an official accompanying Ms Gandhi. The Congress president assured them that she would tell the state government to have a special review of such cases. The villagers also demanded reconstruction of basic infrastructure at war footing. The villagers acknowledged Ms. Gandhi's gesture to cancel her birth day celebrations and spent time with them. Though many of them expected major announcement on the occasion but generally they felt elated over her arrival in quake hit areas.

Shortly before leaving for Dehi, Ms Gandhi flagged off over 400 children from quake hit areas who had lost one or both the parents in wake of October 8 earthquake.

Aged between 6 to 12 years, these children have been identified by government agencies and are being sponsored by a non governmental organization Bhartiya Jain Sangathan who are taking care of their education and other needs in Pune.

Ms Gandhi interacted with them and asked them to concentrate on studies and shape up as the good citizens of the country. It may be recalled here than several NGO's have strongly reacted to sending of these orphans to Pune. They have said they should be taken care of in the Kashmir Valley.

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