Landmine blasts victims seek justice

Having lost both his hands and one eye to a landmine blast, 14-year-old Ashiq Hussain, a resident of Poonch, curses the moment when he stepped into a field while playing three years ago.
Over 500 such people who are rendered disabled due to lanmine blasts along the Indo-Pak border are struggling to make ends meet due "inadequate or no" compensation from the Jammu and Kashmir government.
Today, as many as 30 mine blast victims from twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri reached Jammu seeking "justice from the government, which has denied them compensation".
Narrating his tale to the press, Ashiq Hussain said that two other members of his family were also killed in mine blast and he was at the verge of begging.

"We have no permanent source of income. I am studying in class seventh. There is no government compensation to us," he said adding, "what will be my fate in days to come, I have to beg after some time".
Addressing media, Deepika Singh Rajawat, chairperson of an NGO, Voice for Rights, told reporters here, "The mine blast victims are battling from pillar to post to get the justice as government has failed to grant them compensation. They are living very bad state,"

Flanked by 30 victims of mine blasts, Deepika, whose NGO has come to the help of over 550 mine blast victims of twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, said that,"even after decades people who lost their limbs and lives in landmine blasts in Poonch have got no or inadequate compensation".

"Authorities need to be sensitive towards the issue and their immediate attention is warranted to end their sufferings. Government in the state needs to be sympathetic towards children who lose their limbs in mine blasts," she said.
"Time is to have special package for them with speedy disbursal of their compensation cases," she said.
"It is unfortunate that officials at the DC's office Poonch says that only 20 cases of relief and compensation are pending in its records, but the fact is somewhat different," Deepika said.
State Human Rights Commission has recommended a compensation of Rs 1.5 to 2.5 lakh in most cases, but is unfortunate that none of the victims have so far got adequate compensation, she claimed.