Sonzal, the welfare board of Transgenders of Jammu Kashmir arranged a meeting for the community wherein the members of the community expressed dissatisfaction with the setting up of transgender welfare board by Jammu Kashmir admin.
“The admin recently announced setting up of transgenders welfare board to help the community have easy access to the welfare schemes but the decision is not wholeheartedly welcomed in Kashmir as the board has no members from Kashmir and has only one transgender as the key member from Jammu,” the community leaders said.
Transgenders in the meeting showed dissatisfaction with the setting up of the board and claimed that they were not even consulted before the board was set up.
They also said that they will make their own Union for the community which will have members from their own community.
“What is the use of the board if there is no representation from our community here and the second thing is if the board has been made in Jammu by Saira ji Why is there no member from the Kashmir valley,” Abdul Rashid alias Reshma asked.
Abdul Rashid said that the board should have at least two three members from the community and it is only then that the importance of the board will be felt.
“We are being used. The admin once gave us massive relief kits and showed the same to the entire world that they helped trans people. But when we went back to our homes, it just had a packet of salt, rice and 1 kg flour in it which did not last more than two days,” another member said.
“No one did anything actually, they keep saying that we would be getting units of land and other things but no one is doing anything for us ” a protesting member said.