SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani on Tuesday called an end to the rampant demolition drive, saying administration’s face in Kashmir should be marked by compassion, not bulldozer.
This he said while interacting with party functionaries here at the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha, Srinagar. Peer Afaq Ahmed, Imran Nabi Dar, Dr Sajad Shafi Uri, Syed Tauqeer, Ahsan Pardesi, Ifra Jan, Pirzada Faroz, Danish Iqbal were present on the occasion.
Nasir said that these everyday demolition drives without serving mandatory notices to the alleged encroachers and denying them the right to defend themselves is a cause of worry. “Administration’s claims have done little to assuage the residents of the Valley, who are perpetually living under fear of their properties and business establishments being the next target of the ongoing drive. Outside Jammu and Kashmir, the government is providing homes to the homeless but here it is doing exactly the opposite by making people homeless. It’s vindictive. It has sparked panic and anxiety among the poor,” he added.
The paradoxical attitude of the government, Nasir said, is the clear physical manifestation of policy paralysis within J&K administration.
Kashmir folklore has always talked about Kruhun Sheen, the black snow, as a mark of disbelief and a complete topsy-turvy of natural systems. The fact is there has been black snow around for the last half of the century in Kashmir. The soot that the industrial states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi have been generating would fly and deposit over the glaciers in south Kashmir. Over the years it has been the major factor in the depletion of the glaciers and a key indicator of the climate change impact. Kashmir’s weather systems have historically remained impacted by the Western Disturbances in which the winds bring all the pollution from the Middle East and parts of Europe and pour it over Kashmir. The latest report is that last week the snow was seen as dusty and yellowish. The weatherman in Srinagar, now having access to better technology, said that it was the impact of dust that flew from Afghanistan and Pakistan and got missed with snow! Kashmir is becoming a casualty of real, virtual and climatic globalisation.
Of the sanctioned 3140 border bunkers in Rajouri, 2782 are almost ready for use.
REASI
In a game-changing development, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) revealed that it has discovered 6.9 million tons of lithium reserves in the Reasi mountains near Salal Haimana village. This reserve will fundamentally shift the global ranking of Lithium-rich countries with India now emerging from nowhere to the second position after Chile. The gold of the IT-driven system, Lithium is the powerhouse linked to almost everything from a pacemaker to a cell phone and to an electric car. This is expected to boost the IT-manufacturing investments in India that have already started with Apple setting up a huge phone-making facility in India. How the discovery will help Jammu and Kashmir shall remain a question for the future when the formal process of extracting the vital mineral starts. Right now Australia is the major Lithium supplier to the world.
Against the sanctioned strength of 4985 village defence groups (VDG), 4,153 have been constituted.
KUPWARA
In Kashmir’s harsh winters, Asphyxia has remained a major killer. Desperate to stay warm, people pluck every hole in the room and put on heating devices that deplete oxygen and the people die. That is exactly what happened to the UP family in Krakpora village. Five members of Majid Ansari’s family were declared dead last week when they were driven to the hospital. It was the annihilation of the Bijnore family including the husband, wife and their three children, including the youngest member who was born recently and was yet to be named.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the number of drug abusers includes Cannabis 1,36,000, Opioids 4,47,000, Cocaine 1,000 and 1000 Amphetamines type stimulants. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the registration of 743 drug peddling cases in 2017, 680 in 2018, 918 in 2019, 933 in 2020 and 1324 in 2021.
ANANTNAG
Eleventh grader, Hanaya Nisar was conferred with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) 2023 for winning a gold medal at the third World SQAY Martial Arts Championship held in Chingju, South Korea in October 2018. It is India’s highest civilian honour for children.
Two civilians and 25 security personnel were killed in militant attacks across Jammu since August 5, 2019.
JAMMU
LG, Manoj Sinha presented a piece of Basholi Panting to visiting Prime Minister on April 24, 2022, at Samba.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Jammu has authorised a programme for the Geographical Indication (GI) certification of nine items from erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state for submission to the Human Welfare Association in Varanasi. These items being submitted for GI include Basohli Paintings, Basholi Pashmina Woolen Products (Kathua), Chikri Wood Craft (Rajouri), Bhaderwah Rajma (Doda), Mushkbudji Rice (Anantnag), Kaladi (Udhampur), Sulai Honey, Anardana (Ramban), and Ladakh Wood Carving(Ladakh).
2022 saw 111 anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir in which 187 militants were killed.
JAMMU
CBI
Federal investigator CBI detained a lecturer at the Government Polytechnic College in Jammu and the Chief Accounts Officer (KAS) of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation in connection with Rs. 2.3 lakh bribery. CBI said the lecturer was being used by the accounts officer for extracting money from a person whose payment bill was with the officer. The arrest was an outcome of the trap.
Two girls were rescued alive in an avalanche that hit Manzgund village of Gurez
PATTAN
Rivalries within professionals can sometimes be interestingly intriguing. In a Pattan hospital when a junior doctor was busy carrying out the surgery, the senior got into the theatre and allegedly abused him. This stunned the staff and almost put the patient at risk. The reason: the senior did not want any procedure to take place without his knowledge. What is right and wrong will be decided by an investigation ordered by CMO, Baramula. Meanwhile, authorities have banned two doctors from doing any private practice across Jammu and Kashmir. The two doctors, Dr Zafarullah, Assistant Professor (ENT) and Dr Shafaqat Ahmad Lone, Associate Professor (ENT) of Government Medical College Baramulla were accused of referring patients from Government hospitals to Private Hospitals for availing treatment under AB PM-JAY and AB PM-JAY SEHAT Scheme.
The cost of the Haj package in 2023 is expected to be about Rs 50,000 less in comparison to 2022.
JAMMU
Non-irrigated land at Vilgam. KL Image
Jammu and Kashmir’s administration has banned the sale of agricultural land belonging to individuals who are missing for the last seven years. This was done on basis of the police enquiry that suggested the use of these incomes into subversion. Now revenue officials will have to declare a landowner not present and not in occupation on formal records. People holding their immovable properties will have also to be mentioned and will continue to harvest these lands. No revenue papers in these lands can be issued by the revenue officials to prevent their sale. Though the orders will not be applicable to the immovable property of people who have migrated, the order is silent about tens of thousands of people – mostly professionals, who are working overseas and are technically not present.
Of 33,426 Gazetted and Non-Gazetted positions in Jammu and Kashmir government, Lok Sabha was informed that 25450 vacancies stand filled by December 2022.
LONDON
A review into the British government’s scheme set up to prevent terrorism has flagged the radicalisation of UK Muslims over Kashmir and “potentially toxic” pro-Khalistan extremism as some of the areas of growing concern and made recommendations for improvements to tackle Islamist extremism as the “primary threat” to the country, reports in media said. The report said Pakistan is impacting UK Muslim communities when it comes to “inflaming anti-India sentiment, particularly around the subject of Kashmir”. Commissioner for Public Appointments William Shawcross presided over the review.
DELHI
In a veiled jibe at Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled his Ekta Yatra in 1991 that concluded with the tricolour unfurling in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk at the peak of militant threat. “Those who came back from Jammu and Kashmir recently must have seen how easily you can go there. I too had gone on a yatra to J&K with the resolve to unfurl the Tricolour at Lal Chowk,” Modi said. “Terrorists had put up posters and said, dekhte hain, kisne maa ka doodh piya hai jo Lal Chowk aake Tiranga phehra paaye. That day on January 24, at a public rally, I had said, ‘terrorists pay heed. On January 26, sharp at 11 am, I will reach Lal Chowk without security and a bulletproof jacket. Faisla Lal Chowk pe hoga kisne apni maa ka doodh piya hai’. Then I unfurled the Tricolour at Lal Chowk.” Modi said Kashmir has changed after the reading down of Article 370 and tourism is on a historic rise. He said theatres are also running houseful in Kashmir and separatists are nowhere to be seen now.
SRINAGAR
It was an interesting happening. A traffic cop intercepted a car near Tagore Hall and fined him Rs 2000 for some violation of the rules. Infuriated, the “victim” promised a response. Within an hour, he returned to the spot with his bulldozer – he was an SMC driver handling a bulldozer for removing encroachments and dismantling a booth from which the traffic cops were operating. These booths are technically encroachments but practically these are important spots for the cops. This triggered a mess and after a lot of controversies, the police registered a case and arrested three SMC officials who were later bailed out by the court.
SRINAGAR
SKUAST-K’s 15 students have secured Innovation Grant Funding Support as seed money from Jammu and Kashmir Science, Technology and Innovation Council. They are mentored by the university’s Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (SKIIE) Centre and Team IDP. They will use the grants for validating the proof of concept and turning their ideas into viable marketable products.
MUMBAI
Bollywood flick, Pathaan poster showing the lead actors including Shahrukh Khan, John Ibrahim and Deepika Padukone
Effectively and surely, the tinsel town is reviving its Kashmir love story. At a time when Shah Rukh Khan’s flick Pathaan is ruling the box office, Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan are in Kashmir. They are shooting Fighter. Directed by Siddharth Anand Fighter also involves other actors including Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, and Akshay Oberoi for decisive roles. The movie is planned to hit the theatres on January 25, 2024. In Kashmir, the actors will be seen in and around Dal Lake and Pahalgam to capture some action arrays and scenes of a song. The movie Fighter is anticipated to be India’s foremost aerial action franchise which will enact and display the bravery, slaughter, and patriotic sentiments of the Indian Army. Now Karan Johar is flying Alia Bhat to Srinagar – cancelling Switzerland, for shooting Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.
SRINAGAR
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi Reviews Security Situation In Kashmir
Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, the Northern Command chief said they are ready to give a befitting response to any Chinese aggression in Ladakh. Addressing the Northern Command Investiture Ceremony, the General said that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has brought forth many lessons such as the employment of disruptive and dual-use technologies. “On the LAC, our response to Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo was a swift, undaunted and synergised action by the Indian Armed Forces. Any adverse aggressive designs or attempts will definitely be met with appropriate posturing of Forces and a strong intent with complete synergy among the three services,” he said. “I assure you that the LAC in Eastern Ladakh is being dominated by physical patrolling and through technical means and our territorial integrity is being ensured.”
Charges the occupants with the cost of land based on a 100 per cent increase on the stamp duty rates provided the proposed use comports with the land use under the master Plan, land use.
At the outset, the long overdue sustained drive for retrieval of illegally occupied state and community-oriented Shamilat lands is welcome and gratifying. In the event of its fruition, the campaign in rural areas would pave the way for not only revival but also the sustainable rejuvenation of agro-based enterprises in the pristine ecosystem.
While all sections of Society have exhibited their disinclination in joining status quoists for throwing a spanner in the endeavours of the government on this behalf, the following types of cases need the attention of the authorities in order to prevent the momentum of the campaign from getting derailed:
Before independence and thereafter, the peasantry and small farmers in cultivating possession or occupation of state land were granted tenancy rights followed by ownership rights more particularly under LB-6 and 7 of 1958 and S-432 of 1966. However, the actual beneficiaries of these initiatives were mostly from the affluent classes, bureaucrats, politicians and those having access to the corridors of governing bodies.
The purposes visualised transfer of land to downtrodden and toiling masses actually cultivating the state land but due to the menace of corruption and poverty of the prospective beneficiaries they have not been conferred with rights under relevant orders.
It is in this background that the land under their cultivating possession continues to be recorded as state land and is now being served with notices for surrendering the possession notwithstanding the fact that irrespective of attestation of the mutations or otherwise in their favour the rights have accrued in their favour which cannot be, after 65 years, aborted at this stage.
The government should Institute inquiry for finding out how people on the basis of their socio-economic status in the concerned societies and the naked fact that they have never cultivated the land themselves including their families for generations and yet conferred with the benefits of the government orders ibid, particularly in cases where the beneficiaries were not born on the cut of date or still infants and residing far away from the land usurped under the subterfuge of these orders.
The community lands brought under plantation need not be denuded but, having vested in PRIs and Urban local bodies, handed over to them with conditions for not changing the status of land except under orders of the government in individual cases on the basis of a scheme to be notified by the government, or on a valve to valve basis exchanges allowed with the proprietary land of the illegal occupants contiguous with the community lands.
Houseless and landless families in possession of state land not exceeding 02 kanals were entitled to retain the land for residential purposes under Jammu and Kashmir Agrarian Reforms Act. Similarly, the occupants of state or kahcharia land, used for raising a plantation or an orchard, got an option for offering equivalent proprietary land in exchange for protecting the plantations. Wherever the legal course has been followed under the Act of 1976, the JCB should not be pressed into service.
Under Common Lands (Regulations) Act the state and Shamilat land brought under its purview by extending the Abadi Deh for allotment of 05 Marla plots to landless and homeless families, the non-updation of records should not lead to declaring the allottees as illegal occupants.
The kahcharia within the territories of municipalities has ceased to be so in view of the application of urban land laws and virtual extinction of cattle rearing as a result of the change of professions by the inhabitants of new areas included in respective municipalities. Since before the earmarking of land as kahcharia the said land was actually state land and therefore owing to the factum of its non-use for grazing purposes it reverts it back to the state who, after determining its use, if any, by the state, charges the occupants with the cost of land based on 100 per cent increase on the stamp duty rates provided the proposed use comports with the land use under the master Plan, land use.
Street vendors markets have come up in metropolitan and other cities under the orders of the Apex courts for the rehabilitation of unauthorised street vendors and therefore on the strength of the same rationale the rehabilitation of the existing vendors is called for, those who are currently fearing demolitions and seizer of the properties
Lateef U Zaman Deva
The instruments of the State, wherever holding any immovable property as custodians under any law for the time being in force and the same suffering from encroachments, should be provided paraphernalia and wherewithal for retrieval of their properties and in fact, like state and Shamilat Dafa 05 the Dy Commissioners should include Dharmat, Wakaf and evacuees land also in the campaign underway in Jammu and Kashmir for retrieval of the immovable properties under unauthorised occupation.
(The author is the former Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of TheNewsCaravan.)
SRINAGAR: In view of the ongoing anti-encroachment drive Amnesty International India on Wednesday said that the demolitions in Kashmir must be halted and those affected should be compensated.
“The ongoing demolitions appear to be an extension of the brutal human rights violations the region of Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim majority region of India, has historically witnessed. These demolitions could amount to forced evictions which constitute a gross violation of human rights,” Aakar Patel, chair of the board for Amnesty International India said.
“Under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which India is a state party, everyone has the right to adequate housing which includes a prohibition on forced evictions. Where justified, evictions should be carried out in accordance with general principles of reasonableness and proportionality and include safeguards of reasonable and adequate notice; provision of legal remedies for infringement of rights; and provision of legal aid to people who need it to seek redress from the courts. No one should be made homeless or vulnerable to other human rights violations because of evictions.”
No one should be made homeless or vulnerable to other human rights violations because of evictions, the statement by the Amnesty added.
Aakar Patel said the government must “immediately halt the demolition drive” and “ensure that safeguards against forced evictions as outlined in international human rights standards are put in place before any evictions are carried out”. It added: “They must offer adequate compensation to all those affected without discrimination, ensure that victims of forced evictions have access to effective remedy, and those responsible are held to account.”
SRINAGAR: The demolition drive has picked its pace in Srinagar and Jammu. There were scores of spots where the revenue officials, cops and bulldozers remained active for part of the two.
For different reasons, the two spots proved to be very distinct.
Malik Market
In Jammu’s Malik Market where the MG Hactor showroom is built on a piece of state land, at least four bulldozers came and started demolishing it. They damaged the frontal facade and part of the basement as hundreds of people were watching.
All of a sudden, the people of the area got furious and they reacted. They resorted to stone pelting as a result of which the demolition squad left the machinery behind and fled. It was a brief spell, however.
The showroom owner, Ghulam Mohammad Baig, a resident of Srinagar, has said that he has purchased the land in 1990 and he has papers. One report said he is willing to offer land in exchange so that his more than Rs 2.5 crore investment survives unscathed.
The demolition came against the background of continued protests by the inhabitants of the Sunjwan and Bathindi area of Jammu where at least six residents have received notices that they have constructed their homes on state land. A protest was also reported from the Sidhra area.
Reports reaching from Jammu said that the twin localities shut down normal life for almost four days. Though the government has been conveying that the drive is against the influentials only, the residents seemingly are unwilling to believe. Those who have got notices include at least three individuals having some political connection.
In Jammu, the authorities have already retrieved land from BJPs Kavinder Gupta, DDC Chairman from Kathua, and a former minister – all from BJP, and lot many have received notices including a few from Apani Party.
Padshahi Bagh
There were very disturbing visuals coming from Padshahi Bagh where an old woman was pleading that her relative’s property may not be damaged because he is a very poor man. Some people even said the property that was damaged is owned and there are documents to prove that. Residents claimed they received no notice and the bulldozer’s arrival was a shocking surprise.
A group of women attempting to block the bulldozer from demolition the space, they call ‘home’. The area witnessed an early morning demolition drive on February 4, 2023. KL Image: Special Arrangement
Besides, there was a man – apparently, a non-native, who was crying claiming he has been living on the spot for 20 years and had never been touched. He claimed he received no notice so that he could have arranged some alternative. It was not immediately known to which place he belonged.
There was a very disturbing visual showing two small girls crying near the bulldozers in a tight embrace. It was not immediately known whether they belonged to the native or the non-native.
Other Spots
The demolitions are taking place at such a scale that is impossible to report every single act. It is happening in all the districts.
Near Srinagar’s RTO office, authorities sealed a 4-storey complex but the owner; a lawyer briefed the media and showed his ownership details and the amount that SMC has already received more than 15 years ago. He also talked about the division bench’s direction that the property should not be touched at all. Besides, he claimed he has building permission as well. Barring the construction costs, he gave details of payments worth Rs 60 lakhs that different government agencies have already received.
The bulldozers remained active in Humhama where the outer compound wall of a former DC Budgam was demolished. This is the most prized housing settlement in Srinagar, perhaps the only one that is not served by any public transport service. Today’s demolition in the area was a follow-up to an earlier operation in which a police officer’s encroachments were retrieved.
Bulldozer was also found operating in the Nishat area where a lawyer – a relative of a politician, lives and her compound wall was destroyed. Authorities later raised a board saying it is state land.
Ghulam Nabi Azad had a meeting with Home Minister, Amit Shah in which the issue was raised. A day later, LG Manoj Sinha flew to Delhi and returned to Jammu the same day. Later that evening he told a gathering that the operation of retrieving the state land will continue.
The government has earlier said that they have retrieved more than 600 thousand kanals of land that was encroached upon across Jammu and Kashmir. The operation is likely to continue and intensify in the coming days.
SRINAGAR: Authorities have reportedly demolished a shopping complex that Qazi Yasir owned in Anantnag town. Qazi Yasir is slain politician Qazi Nisar’s son.
The demolition was reported on Thursday morning. While the complex has been raised to the ground, reports said the shops are being handed over to municipal council Anantnag.
“It was a double-storey structure and was demolished,” one eyewitness said. “The shutters of the shops are intact.”
Authorities said the complex near the stadium was illegal as it had been raised on state land.
(Photograph that features this report is not directly linked to the details described in the news story)
