Srinagar, April 1, KNT: Hundreds of Burmese Muslim refugee families living in different parts of Jammu have alleged that they continue to live in abject poverty with little government support, saying their children are growing up in slums without access to proper education and basic amenities.
Refugees told KNT that more than 1,000 Burmese Muslim families were living in localities including Channi, Bhatindi, Talab Tillo and Narwal after fleeing communal violence in Myanmar.
“We were forced to leave Burma because of communal violence. Although we have found shelter here, our condition remains miserable and we lack even the basic facilities needed to live with dignity,” said M.V. Younis, one of the refugees.
He said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had issued electronic identity cards to the refugees, valid for four years and renewable upon expiry, enabling them to legally remain in India.
“The UNHCR identity card allows us to stay here, but life continues to be extremely difficult,” he said.
Another refugee, Mohammad Hamzah, said that while a local non-governmental organisation, Jammu and Kashmir Sakhawat Centre, had been making efforts to educate refugee children, poverty continued to force many of them to spend their days in slums instead of classrooms.
“We survive by doing petty jobs to make ends meet. Our women and children suffer the most. We have approached the government and several religious organizations for assistance, but no meaningful help has reached us,” Hamzah said.
Another refugee, Suliman Ahmed, said his family had recently shifted to Jammu to join relatives who had migrated to the region during the political unrest in Myanmar in the late 1980s.
“Our relatives and friends are scattered across different parts of Jammu. There are no Burmese families settled in Kashmir,” he said.
According to the refugees, Burmese Muslim families are also residing in Kasim Nagar, Narwal, Malik Market, Bawa, Panama Chowk, Channi, Nanak Nagar, Bohri and Bari Brahmana, where they continue to struggle without adequate housing, education, healthcare or livelihood opportunities.
Responding to the allegations, a district official said the government was taking steps for the welfare of the refugee families.
“We are preparing a plan for them and their grievances will be addressed,” the official said. [KNT]
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