Land lease debate hots up in Kashmir
Nov 22, 2006 - 3:04:03 AM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
|
|
|
According to the Permanent Residents' Rules in Jammu and Kashmir, no non-state subject can own immovable property here.
|
By Indo Asian News Service,
[RxPG] Srinagar, Nov 21 (IANS) The decision of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to lease out land to locals for creation of joint ventures with outside investors in the tourist resort of Gulmarg has irked many including separatists and trader organisations here.
Senior separatist leader and chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat group Syed Ali Geelani has launched a campaign against the decision and called for a day's protest in the valley Saturday.
'Jammu and Kashmir is again on sale and we shall do everything possible to stop it,' he told reporters here Tuesday.
Asiya Andrabi, chief of Dukhataran-e-Milat (Daughters of Faith), the women's separatist group, also opposed the government decision.
'They want to bring outsiders here and convert us into minorities,' Andrabi said.
Even those in the moderate Hurriyat are highly critical of the lease decision.
Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told a meeting of his group here: 'We shall oppose the decision tooth and nail.'
The state government is baffled about the storm in the tea-cup as the administration believes there is nothing -even remotely - anti-Kashmiri in the decision.
'We have decided to lease out 550 kanals (about 220,000 square metres) of land in Gulmarg to state subjects through open bidding for building tourism related infra-structural facilities there,' said Tourism Secretary Naem Akhter.
'Non-state subjects cannot even buy the bid documents. The locals can enter into joint ventures for development of the infrastructure with outside investors but such joint ventures, which have to be of course approved by the government, must employ at least 50 percent locals in their establishments.
'In no case can the outside investors create a stake in the lease land. Further to this, the structures raised on the leased out land cannot be more than 24 feet high and must not cover more than 15 percent of the built-up area.
'These structures must gel with the ecological character of Gulmarg and also the local heritage,' said Akhter, who is also the designate authority for the ambitious leasing decision plan.
He also said there was nothing new in creation of joint ventures in the state.
'One big hotel currently working in Srinagar is also a joint venture effort between an outside investor and a state subject.'
According to the Permanent Residents' Rules in Jammu and Kashmir, no non-state subject can own immovable property here.
The rule, originally created in the times of the erstwhile Dogra rulers, has been retained as part of the special status enjoyed by the state which is guaranteed by Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
|
Subscribe to India Newsletter
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
|
Feedback
|
For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send
any medical news or health news press releases, use
feedback form
|
Top of Page
|
