On Wednesday night, about 40 shells rained at Pallanwalla, about 50 km from here, injuring two soldiers and further eroding hope the migrants may have of returning to their native places. ``We will not go back till this firing stops,'' is the unanimous resolve of the migrants who are clustered in Government school buildings. Between five to seven families are sharing a room in these schools and migrants are also scattered in the verandahs and open spaces. The situation is only getting complicated by the day.

The Government schools open tomorrow but no classes are possible as the rooms are occupied. The migrants would not leave till the tension is diffused along the border or tents are given to them. ``We had been assured of tents bythe district authorities, but so far nothing has been done,'' rues Manga Ram staying at the Government Higher Secondary School, Domana.

More than 50 Government schools in Jammu district are under occupation of border migrants and the authorities are still undecided about the course they have to pursue. On the one hand is pressure from parents whose children's study would be affected, while the migrants have made clear that they would not leave till the tents are provided. The Education Department authorities have already written to the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, to get the school buildings vacated so that classes can be started.

With few rooms in schools, majority of the migrants are braving the elements, living out in the open. They have had to buy tirpals to cover their few belongings, but when the rain is heavy -- as took place last night -- water seeps in and the little stock of flour and rice is spoiled. ``I have not eaten anything since morning,''says Tano, 70, resident of Pallanwalla,who has been staying in the ground of Government High School, Devipur, along with her family for the past two months. More than 350 families are adjusting in the compound of school which has just nine rooms.

But managing meals is not the only worry of migrants. They have to guard against snakes, the area being infested with them this season. Having already suffered a few instances of snake-bite, the migrants are scared of sleeping on the ground. Then there is the constant threat of downpour.

Some distance from Devipur at Khour, locals are agitating for relief which the Government has provided to most other migrants. A rally is held every day and the few shopkeepers who remain in this village, about six km from the LOC, have been downing their shutters for the past 11 days. ``Why have we been singled out when relief has been provided to all other migrants?'' demands Ramesh Gupta, president of Block Khour Action Committee.

There is a feeling of betrayal. ``Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani promised to giveRs 2 crore to the migrants during his visit to Khour on June 20, but we have been left out,''Gupta says, adding that not a single official from the State Government had paid them a visit since they had been on strike. But the Government's relative apathy seems to be on the assumption that the people on strike are not as badly affected by shelling as others are.

The Government has paid a relief of Rs 200 apart from seven kg atta and two kg rice to each adult migrant staying in various schools, but the least the migrants are insisting on is camps. Some of them even want to be permanently rehabilitated in safer zones.

``Returning home under (the) threat of firing is not possible. The problem is permanent. Till the time a solution is found or situation normalises, camps have to be set up,'' assert the migrants.