Since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, seven plots of land were purchased by non-residents of Jammu and Kashmir, all of which are located in Jammu division, the government told Parliament on Wednesday.
“As per information provided by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, a total of seven plots of land have been purchased by persons from outside the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. All the seven plots are located in Jammu division,” minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai said in a written statement in response to a query by CPI(M) MP Jharna Das Baidya in Rajya Sabha.
The government, however, did not provide any details of the purchase which was also sought by the CPI(M) lawmaker.
Before repeal of Article 370 and Article 35-A, non-residents could not buy any immovable property in Jammu and Kashmir. However, in a gazette notification in October last year, the Centre omitted the phrase “permanent resident of the state” from Section 17 of the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act that deals with disposal of the land in the Union territory.