NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Sat Sharma on Wednesday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and raised issues related to border infrastructure, compensation for land acquired for defence purposes and the welfare of residents living along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC).
According to a BJP statement, Sharma highlighted the difficulties faced by border residents and sought strengthening, upgradation and maintenance of community and individual bunkers.
He also raised the issue of compensation for land used by defence forces and other agencies for infrastructure and strategic purposes, urging the Union Government to ensure timely and fair compensation to affected families.
Sharma stressed the need for accelerated development of border villages, saying they should be treated as the country’s “first villages” rather than “last villages”. He said improved infrastructure, connectivity and livelihood opportunities would benefit residents and strengthen border areas.
The BJP leader also lauded the Narendra Modi-led government for its security policy in Jammu and Kashmir and criticised previous governments over what he described as neglect of border populations.
The statement said Rajnath Singh assured Sharma that the issues relating to bunkers and land compensation would be examined sympathetically. It added that the Defence Minister also indicated he would consider visiting border areas in Jammu and Kashmir to interact with residents and security personnel and review the situation on the ground.