New Delhi, February 2(KNB): Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chairman DAP called upon Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday and apprised him about the situation of serious unrest and uncertainty prevailing among the public at large in the UT of J&K, due to the circular of eviction issued by UT administration directing all Deputy Commissioners to remove the encroachments on state land including Roshni and Kacharai.
In a statement issued to News Agency Kashmir News Bureau-KNB that Ghulam Nabi Azad requested the Home Minister that the majority of occupants who are holding small lands and have constructed houses for the last few decades are migrants and are mostly victims of militancy, as well as victims of abnormal situations arisen from time to time, being a border state. The origin of these shelters/residential houses on state-kacharai and Roshni lands appears to have taken place first in 1947 and then in the 1962 & 1971 war period, and subsequently during the post militancy period.
This is also a fact that the governments provided road connectivity, supply of water & electricity, schools, anganwadi centres and other welfare schemes including health related facilities to these houses from time to time which implicitly indicates that successive state governments in a way have recognized these constructions.
Azad requested the home minister that at least poor people having small holdings of land and houses should be spared from the eviction drive.
The Home Minister assured Azad that small land holders will not be harassed.
It is worthwhile to mention here that two weeks earlier Azad had taken up the same issue with LG Mr Manoj Sinha also, who too had assured to do the needful with cogent land policy to small land holders sympathetically.(KNB)