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Influential people spreading propaganda about JK land retrieval process: BJP
Large scale protests are being held against government decision to vacate the state land before January 31. Hundreds of workers from Democratic Azad Party held a peaceful demonstration at Ramban against the land eviction order by the government urging authorities to reconsider its decision.
Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Thursday said “influential people” have launched a false propaganda about government land retrieval process in J&K.
Large scale protests are being held against government decision to vacate the state land before January 31. Hundreds of workers from Democratic Azad Party held a peaceful demonstration at Ramban against the land eviction order by the government urging authorities to reconsider its decision.
“Some influential people have started a negative propaganda against Lt Governor-led administration in Jammu and Kashmir over the government land retrieval from encroachers. Some leading newspapers reported a decade ago that prime land has been given to influential people for peanuts under infamous Roshni Act in J&K,” BJP spokesman, Altaf Thakur said in a statement.
He said that not only cultivable land, forest and commercial property was given to these people in return of few pennies.
The senior BJP leader also said the land once retrieved from these people can be used for developmental projects like colleges, hospitals, hostels, different training centres, job generation units, sports fields and other public welfare projects.
Meanwhile, People’s Conference president Sajjad Lone said the government should allot the state land to poor people.
The Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act was enacted in 2001 with the twin objective of generating resources for financing power projects and conferment of proprietary rights to occupants of state land.
The Act, popularly known as Roshni scheme, initially envisaged conferment of proprietary rights of around 20.55 lakh kanals (1,02,750 hectares) to occupants of which only 15.85% land was approved for vesting of ownership rights. The scheme was finally repealed in 2018.
Poor won’t be touched: L-G Sinha
Srinagar: J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said that poor and common people won’t be touched during the current anti encroachment drive in J&K. Sinha said only the state land under powerful and influential people who have grabbed the government land due to their influence will be retrieved.
