By Ghazala Ahmad
Rohingya families living in makeshift settlements in Jammu’s Karyani Talab area of Narwal have begun dismantling their homes and shops after authorities served notices on the owners of plots rented out to them, leaving hundreds of families facing displacement without a clear alternative place to live.
Residents were seen on Tuesday and Wednesday pulling down huts, removing wooden structures and shops, and packing their belongings as landowners asked them to vacate the plots.
Residents said they are now sitting on the roads because they have nowhere to go.
“We are poor labourers and earn our livelihood through daily work. We do not know where we will go now,” a Rohingya resident, who did not wish to be named, told Maktoob.
According to residents, authorities initially removed around 30 to 40 shops, after which families living in the adjoining makeshift shelters were asked to vacate.
A Rohingya community member said around 350 to 500 families living in approximately 80 to 90 makeshift huts had been asked to leave. He said, “Some families had lived in the settlement for 15 to 16 years.”
The families’ displacement comes after authorities issued notices to the owners of plots where Rohingya families had constructed residential and commercial structures.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.