Facing embarrassment over “inaction” in evicting occupants of State land, the government of Jammu and Kashmir made an attempt, as recently as in January 2013, to grant life for the umpteenth time to the expired Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership Rights to the Occupants) Act, 2001— commonly known as the Roshni Act.
Official documents accessed by The Hindu indicate some differences — what some insiders call a ‘clash of vested interests’ — between the Ministers in-charge of Revenue and Law, Aijaz Ahmad Khan of the Congress, and Saifullah Mir of the National Conference, over issuing a notification for extending the life of the Roshni Act. Even as the bureaucratic process is understood to have been completed and the notification drafted, Mr. Mir’s Department of Law asked Mr. Khan’s Department of Revenue vide No: LD(SL)2004/3 dated 06-12-2013 to return the draft.
However, in the last four weeks, the file has not been returned by Secretary, Revenue, Vinod Kaul. Sources said it is in the personal custody of Mr. Khan, who was not reachable for comment. The mandatory notification of Statutory Rules and Orders had not been issued until Thursday.
A bureaucratic source pointed out that the issue of the State land, over 20 lakh kanals, had been raked up in different institutions and even the High Court had sought details of the unauthorised occupants, who include influential politicians, Ministers, MPs, and bureaucrats.
After a series of directions from the High Court, the State government submitted the details of only two of the 20 districts on November 25, 2013. It admitted that land worth 1,60,358 kanal (20,044 acres) and 1,14,135 kanal (14,266 acre) was still under the unauthorised occupation of land-grabbers in Jammu and Baramulla. A Division Bench has sought complete details of the land still under unauthorised occupation.
In a reply to a question from the National Panthers Party MLA, Yashpal Kundal, Minister in-charge, Revenue, informed the Assembly last year that 20,46,436 kanal (2,55,804 acres) of the State land was still under the occupation of different people in 20 of the 22 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Under Section 13 of the Roshni Act, all these lands were supposed to be cleared of unauthorised occupation after the expiry of the deadline.
With the last deadline of filing applications under the Act expiring in 2007, the scheme was sought to be extended to 2013-14 for the purpose of benefiting the occupants of State lands who had not submitted their claims within the stipulated period.
