Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 22: As the State Government is in the dock for its failure either to retrieve huge State land from the illegal occupants/encroachers or to generate projected money from the much-hyped Roshni Scheme, the Law Department has cleared the amendments proposed in the Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Rules, 2007. Now, the Revenue Department is going to approach the State Cabinet shortly for final decision.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that Law Department has cleared the amendments proposed by the Revenue Department in order to infuse new lease of life in the much-touted Roshni Scheme, which otherwise has turned out to be a big failure and generated only Rs 76 crore as against the target of Rs 25,000 crore.
“Now, the Revenue Department is preparing a memorandum for placement before the State Cabinet for final decision”, they said, adding “the Government cannot sleep over the fate of the Roshni Scheme anymore as neither it could generate the projected amount nor retrieve the land from the illegal occupants. Under the prevailing situation the Government is at a loss as it has no other alternative but to make choice of one of these two options”.
According to the sources, the Revenue Department has sought amendment in the relevant Rule of Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of ownership to the occupants) Rules, 2007 in order to extend the time limit for filing of fresh applications to seek regularization of the State land under Roshni Scheme.
“The Law Department has suggested that last date for submission of fresh application forms should be March 31, 2014”, they said. “Both the Law and Revenue Departments are of the view that in case of those applicants, who had failed to deposit the fee despite clearance of their cases by the Screening Committees, penalty should be imposed before disposing of the cases”, sources added.
About the fresh applications, the Revenue Department has proposed new rates for regularization of State land. “The department has recommended 5% hike in all the slabs for the fresh applicants”, sources informed.
The Revenue Department has also recommended amendments in the Rules making it mandatory for the concerned authorities to record the reasons for not disposing off the applications under the Scheme during the extended period, they said while disclosing that in the past large number of applications under the Scheme were not entertained by the concerned authorities across the State without recording the reasons.
Around 1.66 lakh applications were cleared by the Revenue Department vesting ownership rights on 6.05 lakh kanal of land against the approved cost of Rs 316 crore. However, the returns were just Rs 76 crore (Rs 53 crore in Kashmir valley and Rs 22 crore in Jammu).
As per the rules, the occupants owning residential structures on State or Nazool land up to 2 kanal were required to pay only 25 percent of the value of the land determined by the departmental committee and 40 percent up to 10 kanal. For authorized overstayed and unauthorized occupants, the rates were fixed at 35 percent and 50 percent of the value of the land.
In commercial category, authorized, authorized overstayed and unauthorized occupants had to pay 30 percent, 45 percent and 60 percent of the value of the land respectively.
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