BJP demands transfer of evacuee property rights to local allottees in J&K

Lauding the L-G’s decision, he asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to grant proprietary rights to local allottees of evacuee property/land, both in urban and rural areas.

Conferment of proprietary rights of evacuee properties in favour of displaced persons from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the refugees from West Pakistan was the first major step, the BJP leader said. The follow up and the second step of incorporating local allottees should be walked by the Omar government without any delay, he said.

The move, Sharma said, will empower farmers, middle class, marginalised and disadvantaged sections of the society. Local allottees are largely local Dogras of Jammu Province who have been allotted or given possession of evacuee lands under Cabinet Order 578-C, Government Order LB-7 and Government Order Reh 371 of 1971 read along with Second Schedule of Agrarian Reforms Act.

The total number of evacuee properties, which are mostly located in Jammu Province, is 2,56,846, he said adding that 7161 of these were urban properties with their total market value adding up to several thousands of crores.

Sharma further pressed for proper compensation in favour of local allottees of the evacuee lands, which have been acquired by the government for public purposes in the past.

He also said that under the current legal regime, nearly 80 per cent of the total compensation should be paid to the allottees. However, the collectors do not transfer the compensation amount of acquired lands in favour of local allottees. He said the interests of allottees and legitimate occupants, whose allotted lands have been acquired, should be protected through just compensation.

He also demanded disbanding of the Custodian Department, saying that the Operating Expense Ratio (OER), as compared to its income, is very high and it betrays common sense to justify its existence.

The BJP leader said that almost all evacuee property comes under the person who crossed over in support of the creation of Pakistan. After 75 years of independence, having a department for managing properties of those who, driven by ‘Two Nation Theory’, stood for Pakistan and crossed over, betrays all common sense.

Once Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is taken back from illegal occupation of Pakistan, the issue of Hindu-Sikh evacuee property in PoJK could also be settled, he said.

Sharma demanded that the Evacuee Property Act should be repealed to the extent of doing away with the legal regime of Custodian to Custodian General. He also said that for the intervening period, a Relief Commissioner of the rank of Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, not be less than a Senior IAS officer or Senior most JKAS officer from the persecuted community only, should be created to adjudicate issues related to conferment of ownership rights/earlier allotments.

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