Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 19: Government today said that a few political parties are deliberately misleading the people on special dispensation for regulating construction in “strategic areas” required by the armed forces for their direct operational and training requirements.
“Some misgivings have been expressed in the media regarding the decision. A few political parties are deliberately misleading people as if land is being transferred to armed forces and entire J&K is being turned into a military establishment”, the Government said, adding “it is being alleged that new areas are going to be declared as strategic where laws regulating development will not prevail. All these are baseless comments being made without reading facts”.
The Government further said, “the decision has nothing to do with the transfer of any land to the armed forces. The transfer, both acquisition or requisitions, continues to be governed by the existing law and the norms on the subject”, adding “there is no decision to either transfer any new land or declare areas outside cantonments or army land as strategic. In fact, it is the stated policy of the Government to regulate and harmonize the requirement of land by the armed forces to meet the competing demands of development and internal security”.
The armed forces are not only entrusted with the responsibility of defending the boundaries of the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh but are also involved in combating insurgency. During past some years, the defence forces have brought to the notice of the Government that multiple issues keep commonly coming up in their infrastructure development activities which are not only cumbersome and time-consuming but at times go against strategic interests.
Keeping in view the strategic importance of constructing such infrastructure within a defined timeframe, it has been felt that a special mechanism needs to be put in place for such strategic infrastructure needs.
“On the other hand, it is also important to ensure that whatever development takes place, especially when it is in the local areas of development authorities, it conforms to the overall developmental plan”, the Government said, adding “the reconciliation of these two competing exigencies of public interest is important”.
Further, adequate safeguards have been kept to ensure that the provisions are not misused.
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