Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 21: Bharatiya Janata Party Kashmir Displaced District (BJP-KDD) today termed the reinforcing of Jammu & Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection and Restraint on Distress Sales) Act, 1997 to ensure its strict implementation a step in right direction for safeguarding the left over property of displaced Hindus in Valley.
Talking to reporters here, today BJP spokesperson and ex MLC, Girdhari Lal Raina, BJP KDD president, Chand Ji Bhat, its general secretary, Hari Krishan Razdaan and BJP media secretary, Dr Pardeep Mahotra said the displaced Hindus from Valley were struggling for decades to protect the land and other immovable property left over in the Valley and they constantly were bringing it to the notice of the administration that the Act and rules there-under were neither being followed in letter nor the spirit. Instead illegal encroachment of left-behind immovable properties continued unabated. Lands belonging to religious places and cremation grounds have been encroached across Kashmir. There are numerous instances where the victim of encroachment fought intrepidly approaching administration as well as the courts but without any success.
Raina said that clear cut court orders were not implemented on the ground.
He said as per Government Order No 53-JK-(Rev) of 2021 dated 13-08-2021 the implementation of the Act did not take place in the manner as prescribed. Hence the competent authority (Deputy Commissioners) have been asked to prepare details of immovable property and take appropriate action to evict unauthorised occupant, he said and expressed the hope that the concerned agencies will take action in accordance with law.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri Pandit Sabha (KPS) president, K K Khosa has also said that the strengthening of the Act is a step in right direction. He said Sabha and other KP organizations have submitted many memoranda to Government in the past including both Central and State in which it was mentioned that instead of passing the Act in 1997 the distress sale goes unabated and trespassing continues.
Khosa said the authority should be empowered enough to pursue each and every applicant to enable safe retrieval of the properties to their rightful owners and demanded protection of properties of religious places, shrines, temples and trusts.
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