Government urged to address land compensation, security concerns, and livelihood challenges of border farmers.
J&K Assembly Witnesses Uproar Over Delayed Compensation for Border Farmers
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed heated discussions on Thursday as BJP legislators from border constituencies—Devender Kumar Manyal, Surjit Singh Slathia, and Vijay Kumar Sharma—raised serious concerns over the prolonged delay in compensating farmers whose land was acquired for border fencing and security purposes.
The legislators accused the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts of withholding crores of rupees in compensation despite having funds available. They highlighted that many farmers have been waiting for their rightful payments for over a decade, leaving them in financial distress without access to their lands beyond the border fencing.
Responding to the concerns, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah assured the House that he would convene a meeting with MLAs from International Border and Line of Control (LoC) constituencies to address the issue. However, opposition members demanded immediate action, questioning why ₹11 crore of the allocated ₹155 crore remains undistributed while many cases remain unresolved.
Apart from compensation delays, legislators also pushed for allowing controlled cultivation of land beyond the fencing, emphasizing that denying farmers access further deepens their economic struggles. They urged the government to consult security agencies to explore safe farming solutions in these areas.
The debate also underscored the broader challenges faced by border farmers, including cross-border shelling, lack of infrastructure, and limited livelihood opportunities. Lawmakers called for long-term policy interventions such as crop insurance, alternative livelihood programs, and improved connectivity to support border communities.
Amid allegations of administrative inefficiency, legislators demanded strict deadlines for compensation disbursement and action against officials responsible for unnecessary delays. They stressed that the suffering of border farmers should not remain a recurring Assembly discussion but must be addressed with concrete policy measures and transparent governance.
