Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 18: The Government has, on the initiative of Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Syed Basharat Bukhari, constituted a High Level Committee to workout modalities for optimal utilization of land resources through appropriate land use, planning and management.
The Committee will be headed by the Minister for Revenue, Relief The Committee is mandated with the twin tasks of reviewing laws and identifying land resources for further expansion under both agricultural and non-agricultural purposes.
The Committee will also formulate guidelines for protecting agricultural lands against degradation, consolidating of holdings to increase agricultural productivity, bringing fallow and wastelands under crop production and residential accommodation and better resource management.
The Committee will take stock of the present land use in the state and propose broad guidelines for optimum utilization of land.
It will formulate draft policy and broad guidelines to protect agricultural lands against degradation on account of soil erosion, water logging, loss of fertility, industrialization etc.
It will review revenue laws with particular reference to the problems relating to consolidation of holdings with the intent to increase productivity of agricultural lands.
It will review land use laws particularly those relating to restriction, uncultivable lands like Araks, Kaps, Kah-i-Krisham and other uncultivable lands mentioned in the Big Landed Estates Abolition Act/Agrarian Reforms Act, Land Revenue Act etc.
It will review forest laws with particular reference to the problems relating to the degradation and protection of forest lands.
It will identify pockets in each Mohalla/ Village for bringing waste lands, fallow lands etc either under crop production or for using these waste lands for residential, commercial or residential purposes.
It will lay down broad guidelines for optimum utilization of land reclaimed through implementation of flood protection schemes.
It will suggest measures for formulation of housing policies for rural areas for cluster type of construction or developing colonies by public-private participation so as to save agricultural lands from further degradation/shrinkage.
It will suggest measures for earmarking areas for extension of Abadi Deh, so as to discourage scattered construction activity in rural areas.
It will review of laws as relating to extension/declaration of areas as Abadi Deh and to constitute district level committees instead of District Collector, for effective implementation of such policies.
It will identify problems and bottlenecks in bringing cultivable waste lands, fallow lands, etc under crop production.
The Minister maintained that in the absence of a comprehensive policy, land allocation and utilization remains a 'hit and trial' approach resulting in cascading problems of floods, soil erosion, land degradation, conversion of agricultural land, loss of wildlife habitat and industrial pollution.
He said the government envisions evolving a consolidated profile of tracts of land to undertake expansion of agricultural and non-agricultural activities. A scientific research is being pitched to enable expansion in areas contiguous to respective categories of land - land under net sown area, forest land, fallow land, cultivable waste land and barren land; without disturbing the surrounding areas thus creating a model for sustainable development. |
