Jammu: CPI(M) MLA Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami raised concerns over the allotment of land to Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralidaran in Kathua during the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly’s ongoing budget session on Saturday. The opposition have raised concerns over the land given ‘free of cost’ to non-Indian.
While he did not directly name the cricketer, Tarigami questioned the legal basis of the decision. Muralidaran has been allotted 206 kanals (about 25 acres) in Kathua to establish a Rs1,642-crore aluminium can manufacturing and beverage filling unit under the new industrial policy introduced after the abrogation of Article 370.
His company, Ceylon Beverages, which already operates a plant in Karnataka, is now expanding into Jammu and Kashmir, with the lease signed on June 14 last year.
The investment aligns with the government’s decision to transform Kathua—specifically Bhagthali village near the Punjab border—into an industrial hub. As part of its efforts to attract investors to J&K, the government has promoted Muralidaran’s project as a significant foreign investment in the region.
However, the land allotment has sparked renewed debate over policies governing land distribution in J&K, particularly for foreign investors. Opposition leaders have called for greater transparency in the process, making it a politically contentious issue.
Congress MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir also demanded scrutiny, calling the matter serious and in need of immediate attention.
In response, Agriculture Production Minister Javaid Ahmad Dar acknowledged the concerns but stated that the issue falls under the jurisdiction of the Revenue Department.
