All quiet on the Punjab front
Nearly a week after India conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC), normality is returning to the border villages of Punjab, with people back in their houses and children in schools.
After tension between India and Pakistan escalated, evacuation was ordered in nearly 800 villages in six border districts of Punjab, situated within 10 km from the International Border.
The number of people seeking refuge in government-run camps has sharply fallen, after the initial two days when people fled their villages in panic.
At a camp set up in the local government school at Dera Patana village in Dera Baba Nanak, a team of officials is ready with supplies of food, medicines and water, but hardly anyone is coming now. A few come at night and return to work during the day.“We are prepared to deal with the situation. All necessary supplies are on standby,” Kujeet Singh, the nodal officer of the camp at Dera Patana, told The Hindu. “Over 250 people kept coming daily for the first 2-3 days, after the evacuation was announced. But now very few people turn up,” he added.
Despite the tension, many residents stayed put in their villages. “What would be more safer than my own house? I didn’t leave my village even for a day.. Most people of my village didn’t go anywhere,” Baljeet Singh told The Hindu. He had taken voluntary retirement from the Army and is settled in Ghonawal village of Ajnala, barely four km from the border. Mr. Singh, in his late forties, has planted paddy on 12 acres. “Police came to our village and announced that we should leave and move to ‘camps’ or another safer place … but it’s difficult to leave the house, cattle and crops unattended. Moreover, I am an ex-Army man, I won’t run; in fact, if the situation demands, I’ll stand with the Army and help them in whatever way I can.” The sentiments of the people across this village, which has a population of over a thousand, are similar. Most people refuse to leave saying the situation on the ground is calm now and fear of retaliation from Pakistan is slowly dying down.
“My exams are nearing and I can’t afford to skip my studies,” said 14-year-old Jasmine Kaur, a student of Harcharan Singh Memorial (Private) School in the same village. The Punjab government decided to reopen all schools in the border areas from October 5. The schools were closed after the surgical strikes.
Crops, their priority
“Staying in camp is not an option for me.. Firstly the facilities there are poor and secondly, I’ll suffer huge loss if I leave my crop unattended even for a day,” said Lakha Singh, who was guiding workers in his cauliflower field of nearly 25 acres — only a few metres from the international border in Dera Baba Nanak.
“I have spent over five lakh rupees on this crop and now it’s ready for harvest. If I shift to the camp or leave the village, the crop will get damaged… then who will compensate me? I have little hope from the government and therefore I’m not leaving,” he said.
“Also, the situation now seems to have calmed down here.. government should revise its decision and stop evacuation,” he added.
Source: The Hindu
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