J&K land laws tweaked to benefit people: Sinha

Days after the Jammu and Kashmir administration notified J&K Land Grant Rules -2022, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said necessary changes were being made in land laws to benefit the common man as earlier legislations were “very regressive”.

“The (old) land laws were very regressive and not framed with the interests of the people in mind. The changes which are necessary for benefiting common man are being made,” Sinha told reporters here on the sidelines of a function to lay the foundation stone of Srinagar Development Authority’s Satellite Township at RakhGundAksha& a Housing Colony at Bemina, Srinagar.

The LG was responding to a question about land lease holders in Jammu and Kashmir being asked to return the possession to the government.

Sings said 40 to 45 per cent litigation in the Union Territory was due to land records.

“We have carried out digitisation of the land records. Once the process is complete, the people here can live in peace,” he added.

As per the Jammu & Kashmir Land Grant Rules-2022, all outgoing lessees will have to handover possession of land taken on lease to the government

The Rules also state that all leases (except the subsisting /expired residential leases) including lease granted under the Jammu and Kashmir Land Grants Rules 1960, Notified Area (All Development Authorities set in Tourism Sector) Land Grants Rules, 2007 and leases expired or determined prior to the coming into force of these rules or issued under these rules shall not be renewed and shall stand determined.

Congratulating the SDA officials for developing first of its kind satellite township in Kashmir division, the Lt Governor said the new initiative is aimed to decongest the city and to meet the needs of affordable homes for growing population.

“The housing colony ‘Shehjar Heights’ is a symbol of aspiration of the middle class. The two projects will not only provide quality and valuable space for families but also become the driver of economic development and unlock the potential of local economies, he added.

He emphasized on accelerating the speed and scale of the development to meet the requirements of the increasing population. He directed the H&UDD to conduct periodic review of the projects to ensure that these projects are completed within the timeframe.

“The township shall be self-contained with building infrastructure for businesses, offices, commercial & institutional buildings, hotels and other facilities designed to make living and working comfortable, he added.
It is pertinent to mention that a Medicity and a new High Court Complex are coming up adjacent to the township that will make the whole area another bustling centre of activity in the vicinity of Srinagar. The Township will also have clusters of planned housing with neighbourhood level health and education facilities. “Shehjar Heights” Housing Colony at Bemina will have peripheral road network with pavements, club house with swimming pool and gymnasium, community hall, shopping mall.

Highlighting the efforts of the government to rejuvenate the urban landscape in the UT, the Lt Governor said, cities and towns of J&K are experiencing a transformational urbanism that has been achieved through excellence in infrastructure planning and execution and stimulated local development.

The ongoing transformation in Srinagar, Jammu and their neighbouring towns is the harbinger of sustainable development, the Lt Governor said.

Observing that Housing is the most important component of city’s development and also defines the culture of that city, the Lt Governor stressed that infrastructure being developed must reflect our cities’ aesthetic and cultural values.

Satellite townships & housing colonies will accelerate economic activities in J&K, supplement our efforts to overcome challenges of urbanization and provide better housing facilities to the people. It will also generate large-scale skilled & unskilled employment, he added.

Seamless service delivery, housing and infrastructure development as per people’s needs should be a major component of the master plan. We also need to change our approach and special attention should be paid to fulfil needs of the citizens living in towns, the Lt Governor noted.

He also called upon the elected public representatives and common citizens to play their important role in the successful conduct of G20 presidency events. He also sought suggestions from them to make the visit of delegates and people coming from across the world memorable.

Earlier, he also reviewed the ongoing construction work on transit accommodations for the employees recruited under the Prime Minister’s Package in Baramulla and Bandipora districts.

“Sinha conducted on-site inspection and reviewed ongoing construction work of the transit accommodations for PM Package employees at Baramulla and Bandipora today,” the spokesman said on Wednesday.
The Lt Governor laid emphasis on timely completion of all the works. He interacted with the officials and engineers engaged in Baramulla and Bandipora.

The deputy commissioners concerned briefed the Lt Governor on the progress of works relating to different departments including power, water supply and other additional works, the spokesman said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Pandurang K Pole and ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar were among the officials accompanying the LG.