Dear Editor,
The Gorkhas, who have stood upinnumerable times for the defence of this state, have been left, today, as a suffering community, in need of support for survival.Like few other sections of the state, they are devoid of their basic human rights, fundamental rights and even legal rights, with Article 35A being the major reason.
They have faced continued discrimination in the state,with their miseries increasing manifold post-independence. Poor and mostly illiterate, the people of this community are rendered helpless when it comes to proving their identity. The small community which is treated as foreigners (that came in ‘dahej’ with Rani Yasho Rajya Lakshmi, the wife of Dr. Karan Singh), comprising only about five percent of the total state populationhas been reduced to a vote bank.
Their residential area, Gorakh Nagar, lacks basic amenities like sanitation, electricity, medical facility, etc. The ‘properly regularized colony’ tag is difficult to achieve, with families growing in that provided area, who have now resorted to encroachment and illegal construction of houses.
Military is no more a sole employment option for the martial community, which now requires state subject certificate.Thus, youth, due to unemployment, have indulged themselves in illegal activities like drugs and gambling.
A representative is strongly needed to plead their cause, or the present situation of neglect and apathy will continue to grow unchecked.
Harry Walia
Jammu