Riyaz Ul Khaliq

KL NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR

An abandoned pandit house in Haal Pulwama.
An abandoned Pandit house in Haal Pulwama. (KL Image: Bilal Bahadur)

The revelation which is bound to bust the propaganda unleashed by some fringe Pandit groups, the state government Wednesday negated the dominant view of scavenging of leftover Pandit properties by majority community, saying the maximum portion of Kashmiri Pandit property in Kashmir is still intact, and safeguarded by the Act.

In a reply to MLC Surinder Mohan Ambardar, the government said, “Pandits owned total 98275 Kanals and 92 Marlas of land in Kashmir, besides 5573 structures in ten districts of valley. Since 1997, over 22258 Kanals of KP land was mutated.”

While giving the break-up, the government said Pandits owned maximum 17001 Kanals of land, 3137 structures in South Kashmir’s Islamabad. Over the years, KPs sold 2624 Kanals of land there.

Similarly in Srinagar, KPs owned 6695 Kanals of land and sold 814 Kanals since 1997—the year when government enacted the J&K Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection and Restrained) on Distress Sale Act 1997.

The Act, notably, prevented the distress sale of property by the migrants.

“The sale of Immovable properties is being carried out on the basis of authentic/required documents/revenue extracts and recommendation of Deputy Commissioner Concerned under the provisions of J&K Migrant Immovable Property (Preservations, Protections & Restrains Distress Sales) Act, 1997,” the government informed the Upper House of State Legislature.

While admitting there were some cases of encroachment, the government said action is being taken under the Act for eviction of unauthorized occupants.

Among the ten districts of Kashmir known to house Pandit population, the government said, “no encroachment was found in eight districts, including Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara, Pulwama, Shopian, Ganderbal, Islamabad and Kulgam. In Budgam and Srinagar, however, 131 and 25 Kanals of land were respectively encroached.”

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