Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 8: Dis-satisfied with what it called the evasive reply of the State Government on the encroachment of Kashmiri migrants’ immovable property in Valley which has been grabbed by land mafia after the mass exodus of the community due to terrorism that gripped the Kashmir Valley in 1989-90, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Union Home Ministry has now decided to discuss the matter with the representatives of Kashmiri migrants in its next meeting.
This was conveyed in a letter to the representatives of KP organisations by P P Singh Consultant K III, Union Home Ministry.
The letter said Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs on J&K Migrants in its 179th report has not shown its satisfaction with the evasive reply of the Government on the issue of encroachments and hence the members of the Committee have decided to discuss the issue with KP representatives themselves.
The letter said the members have also shown their concern that the Ministry of Home Affairs of the State Government has evaded the reply to a number of complaints received and attended.
It said in view of the evasive reply from the State Government the Parliamentary Standing Committee has now decided to discuss the matter with the representatives of migrants, seek details from them and get them verified from the State Government.
The Committee has urged the representatives of Kashmiri migrants to submit the full details regarding the encroachments /acquisition of migrants property to it as early as possible so that the same could be taken up with the State Government.
It may be recalled that the representatives of Kashmiri migrants during their last meeting with Parliamentary Standing Committee had informed it regarding the encroachments made on migrants’ property at various places in the Valley during last 25 years of turmoil by mafia groups and land grabbers in Valley and despite their protests and pleas to the State Government it has failed to restore the same.
The migrant representatives during the meeting with Parliamentary Standing Committee members informed them that not only the mafia groups but the prime land of Kashmiri Pandits including the land belonging to their religious places has been grabbed by the various Government departments for construction of school buildings, dispensaries, water supply schemes, bus stands and roads with out intimating the concerned land owners or providing compensation to them.
“We have informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs as well as Union Home Ministry during our last meeting about the encroachments made on migrants property as well as property belonging to their religious places not only by the mafia groups or land grabbers but the Government agencies themselves and they took a serious exception to it”, said Ashwani Chrungoo, president Panun Kashmir.
He said everywhere in the Valley the migrants land has been grabbed either by mafia groups having patronage of State Government officials or the Government departments themselves which is a cause of concern.
He said water supply schemes have been constructed on holy springs where important Hindu shrines existed by the State PHE Department in Valley and objections made by the community were turned down.
He said such a water supply scheme has been made at holy spring of Vitasta at Veeringag in South Kashmir district of Anantnag which is an ancient shrine of Hindus and is linked to the origin of Kashmir.
The PHE Department has also installed a water supply scheme at holy spring in Village Monghama in South Kashmir district of Pulwama and the Government also converted the residential complex of Kashmiri Pandits at Shopian Batpora in Shopian district of South Kashmir into a Bus Stand without intimation to the owners of the property into confidence, said Dr R L Bhat, national spokesperson Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust.
He said recently the land of Bhairav temple at Chachbal, in Central Kashmir district of Srinagar has been bulldozed by mafia groups in connivance with the Revenue Department despite the fact that an ancient temple existed at this place.
The Government is encouraging the mafia groups in Kashmir Valley, said H L Chatta president ASKPC, adding that the land mafia has grabbed the ancient Shiv Temple at Bijbehara by constructing a complex there. Though the members of the community expressed their anguish but the administration has failed to restore the same till date.
Chatta said at village Tikker of Kupwara district in North Kashmir about 100 kanals of agriculture land belonging to minority Pandits was taken over by the Government for constructing the Radio Station and Becon complex. The villagers took serious exception to the Government decision and despite the directives of NHRC the land has not been restored to the community.
Jagan Nath Dhar, a migrant from Delhi said that the recommendations are a welcome step as for the first time the GoI has shown an interest in settling the issue of displaced Pandits from Valley as well as refugees from PoK, West Pakistan and the people displaced form hilly areas of Jammu who have really suffered a lot over the years.
However official sources denied that they have not submitted the details regarding the encroachments made on migrants property to Parliamentary Standing Committee. Entire information with the State Government regarding the encroachments on the migrants property has been submitted to the Committee as desired by it, the spokesman added.
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