Early Times Report
Kathua, Mar 22: Despite the imposition of Section 144, the Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) Unit in Kathua District organized a large-scale protest at Bhagat Singh Park. Led by President Bhushan Sharma, the protesters demanded the immediate lifting of the ban on land transfer imposed under government order No. 254-C of 1965. Expressing their frustration with the UT Government’s perceived inaction on the legitimate issues faced by Displaced Persons (DPs), the demonstrators strongly condemned the authorities for failing to advocate for their cause at the central government level.
Following the protest, a detailed memorandum was submitted to Lieutenant Governor Manoj K. Sinha through Deputy Commissioner Kathua. Addressing the gathering, Bhushan Sharma, alongside other prominent leaders including Dr. Paramjeet Kumar, Ashok Sharma, Gyani Harjeet Singh, Darshan Kumar, S. Amarjeet Singh, and K.C. Prasher, highlighted the demands of the protesting DPs. Sharma emphasized that the JKSAC had repeatedly appealed to the Lieutenant Governor and the Secretary of Revenue to exclude state lands allotted to DPs from the negative list during registration. He underscored that full proprietary rights were granted to DPs under government order No. 254-C of 1965. He criticized the government’s directive prohibiting the transfer of state lands allotted to DPs, arguing that once proprietary rights are conferred, the government has no legal standing to interfere in land usage decisions made by DPs. Sharma further cited Section 4 of the Agrarian Reform Act 1976, clarifying that self-cultivation restrictions do not apply to lands mentioned in Schedule II, including state lands and evacuee lands allotted to DPs. Appealing to Lieutenant Governor Manoj K. Sinha and Dr. Jatinder Singh for intervention, Sharma urged them to issue advisories to expedite the decision-making process within the Revenue Board to alleviate the grievances of DPs.
The protest signifies the ongoing struggle of DPs to assert their rights and seek redressal for their grievances, urging authorities to address their concerns promptly and effectively. |
