A day after he said private developers from outside the state were welcome to purchase property in Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig today clarified that they cannot buy land but acquire it on lease.Reiterating that Kashmir needed outside investment for development of infrastructure, he added that industrial houses need not be discouraged by their inability to buy land in the state as there were legal provisions which made it possible to acquire it for the purpose. Beig’s party PDP also clarified that while it would strive hard to get investment, it could not “compromise” the special status of the state. Referring to the state’s Land Grants Act, a PDP spokesman said it has a provision for acquisition of land by private players on lease up to 99 years. “We already have private projects in the state like Hotel Intercontinental Grand Palace in Srinagar, which is run by Bharat Hotels. Similarly, Hotel Centaur on the banks of Dal Lake is run by Hotel Corporation of India,” said the spokesman. “Besides, 50 per cent of the industry in Samba and Bari Brahmna in Jammu belongs to non-state subjects.”Though initially the provision for lease was meant for industries and education, tourism also became eligible for it after being declared an industry in 1995. The PDP also wants local entrepreneurs to come forward and enter into joint ventures with outsiders. “This will be a better way to facilitate all-round infrastructure development,” the spokesman said.
