Early Times Report
Samba, July 23: The Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) held a significant meeting to express their gratitude towards Dr. Narinder Singh, National General Secretary of BJP, and Sh. Vikram Randhawa, former MLC, for their support in revoking the government-imposed ban on the registration of state lands allotted to Displaced Persons (DPs) of 1947 from POJK. The leaders also voiced their support for the regularization of various lands under DPs in recognized colonies across Jammu.
During the meeting, Gurdev Singh, President of JKSAC, along with Ajit Singh, Puran Singh Chib, Bhagwan Singh, and Dwarka Nath Khajuria, praised the BJP leaders' efforts. Since JKSAC's inception in 1967, the committee has fought tirelessly for proprietary rights over state lands allotted to DPs under Govt. Order No. 254-C of 1965 and occupancy tenancy rights under Section 3-A of the Agrarian Reforms Act of 1976.
The committee had promptly appealed to the Lt. Governor and the then Revenue Secretary to exclude the state lands allotted to DPs from the negative list, highlighting that these lands were granted under the 1965 order. Despite assurances from officials, including the Lt. Governor, Financial Commissioner Revenue, and Advisor R.R. Bhatnagar, no positive outcomes have emerged.
Gurdev Singh elaborated on the historical context, noting that 15,26,853 kanals of land were vacated by those who moved to POJK or Pakistan during the 1947 turmoil. Only 15% of this evacuee land was allotted to DPs, with the remainder unaccounted for. The DPs were allotted 2,43,749 kanals of state land due to the insufficiency of evacuee land. Over time, DPs were granted proprietary rights under the 1965 order and occupancy tenancy rights in 1976. Singh emphasized that the current ban on land registration lacks legality, as the Agrarian Reform Act of 1976 exempts such land from restrictions.
Singh argued that the state land was originally meant for self-cultivation, but as DP families grew, their holdings became insufficient for sustaining livelihoods. He urged the Lt. Governor and senior revenue authorities to revoke the ban and issue advisories allowing the registration of state land allotted to DPs post-sale and purchase. The meeting saw active participation from JKSAC leaders, including Ajit Singh (Vice President), Puran Singh Chib (Vice President), Netar Parkash (General Secretary), Dwarka Nath Khajuria (District President Jammu), Bhagwan Singh (President Sub-district RS Pura), and Tarlok Singh Tara (President District Poonch).
The JKSAC remains hopeful that the government will address these critical issues and support the rights and needs of the DPs of 1947 from POJK. |
