Protests over locals’ evictions grow in J&K, Azad meets Amit Shah
The Hindu
The Home Minister has assured the Democratic Azad Party leader that small land holders will not be harassed, a party spokesman said.
Amid growing protests over the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor administration’s ongoing eviction drive of locals from alleged encroached ‘State’ land, Democratic Azad Party (DAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad has raised the issue with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and sought his intervention.
With locals’ protests spreading in parts of the Union Territory, Mr. Azad met Mr. Shah in New Delhi on Wednesday. The DAP leader apprised Mr. Shah about the situation of serious unrest and uncertainty prevailing among the public at large in J&K due to the circular of eviction issued by the UT administration, directing all Deputy Commissioners to remove the encroachments on State land, including Roshni and Kacharai, a DAP spokesman said.
Mr. Azad, according to the DAP, informed the Home Minister that the majority of occupants, who were holding small lands and had constructed houses for the last few decades, were migrants and mostly victims of militancy. “The origin of these shelters or residential houses on State-Kacharai and Roshni lands appears to have taken place first in 1947 and then in the 1962 and 1971 war period, and subsequently during the post-militancy period,” Mr. Azad told Mr. Shah.
He has urged that poor people with small holdings of land and houses should be spared from the eviction drive. “The Home Minister has assured Mr. Azad that small land holders will not be harassed,” the spokesman said.
The L-G administration has claimed to have retrieved hundreds of acres across the UT from alleged encroachers, who included politicians of the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
An alleged illegal shopping complex of Hurriyat leader and former Mirwaiz (head priest) of south Kashmir, Qazi Yasir, was also demolished on Thursday. Earlier, two houses of militants were also demolished by using bulldozers. In Jammu, around 290 kanal (36.25) was retrieved on Thursday.
Meanwhile, there is no let-up in protests against the drive. Scores of activists of the Kisan Tehreek held a protest demonstration in Srinagar against the administration’s “forcible land eviction of poor kisans in J&K”.
Pawan unveils plans to tap tourist potential of Konaseema, promises steps to protect Antarvedi temple lands if voted to power. The JSP chief accuses Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy of not being keen on bringing to book those involved in the torching of Antarvedi temple chariot. TDP-JSP manifesto to be released on April 30. He promises to sanction a fishing harbour on Antarvedi coast.