EDIT NOTE: The headline earlier incorrectly mentioned 2.4 lakh kanals.
Jammu: Merely a few days post the Ministry of Home Affairs repealed 11 more J&K laws including Alienation of Land, Big Landed Estates Abolition, Common Lands Act thereby paving way for ‘any citizen of India’ to buy land in the erstwhile state – the administration has transferred 2.4 lakh kanals of land to the Industries and Commerce Department for ‘investment purposes’.
While almost an equal kanals of land will be notified shortly following clearance from the Forest Department, at least 65 big houses are constantly in touch with the Government to set up their units, as reported by Jammu-based newspaper Daily Excelsior.
The report further read that the administration in Jammu Kashmir had kept the target of 4.8 lakh kanals of land for inviting investments in J&K following the abolition of the special status of Jammu Kashmir on August 5, 2019, which included an extension of existing Industrial Estates as well as setting up of new Estates not only in the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar but also in other districts.
While out of the 4.8 lakh kanals target, the Government has transferred 2.4 lakh kanals land to the Industries and Commerce Department in Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam, Pulwama and Anantnag districts of Kashmir – the total land of 2.4 Lakh Kanals, 1.6 lakh kanals is in Jammu division and 80,000 kanals in Kashmir division.
‘2.4 lakh kanals of land has been transferred to the Industries and Commerce Department by the J&K administration while remaining 2.4 lakh kanals land is expected to be transferred shortly’ Commissioner/ Secretary Industries & Commerce Department Manoj Kumar Dwivedi was quoted by the Excelsior as saying.
“For 2.4 lakh kanals pending land, the No Objection Certificate (NOC) of Forest Department is pending,” Dwivedi added.
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