SKARDU, April 17 Refugees from Ladakh and Kargil have criticised the 'ill-planning' of the engineers of the Public Works Department due to which the lift irrigation scheme at Sarfa Ranga constructed at a cost of Rs20 million has failed.

In a statement Hafiz Bilal Zubairi, general secretary of the refugees action committee, demanded of the government officials as well as force commander Gilgit-Baltistan to order an inquiry into the matter.

Bilal Zubairi said a barren land located near Shigar Skardu was allotted for the refugees of 1971 from Chulunkha Toortuk, Tiaqshi and Dowe Thang for their rehabilitation some four years back.

He said he had opposed the lift irrigation scheme at the launching stage because of its uncertain citation but the district administration and the officials of PWD spent the huge amount of Rs20 million allocated by the then president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf to irrigate the barren land allotted to the refugees.

Mr Zubairi demanded of the government as well as FCNA to take stern action against the incompetent engineers and the responsible authorities of the then district administration of Skardu.

He said the governments of Pakistan and India had opened routes at several points in Azad Kashmir to facilitate the divided families to meet their relatives, but thousands of separated families of Baltistan region living on either of the Line of Control since their migration in 1948 and 1971, were not being given a chance to meet.

He demanded of Pakistan and India to reopen the Khaplu-Ladakh and Skardu-Kargil routes for the purpose.