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| Govt not keen on land use bill | | | The ruling coalition seems to be playing the role of passive spectators while large chunks of agricultural lands were being used for non-agricultural purposes. In certain cases the land grabbers and the vested interests have joined hands with land owners and junior officials of the Revenue Department for grabbing agricultural and forest lands for non-farming and non-forestry activities. In certain cases agricultural lands located close to the towns and the twin capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu were being used for raising housing colonies and shopping complexes. It is only the Minister for Agriculture, G.H. Mir, who is keen that the state legislature adopted a bill imposing restrictions on use of agricultural lands for non-farming practices. Being very particular about this piece of legislation Mir had introduced a bill in the Assembly during the last budget session. It was a comprehensive bill which, if adopted, could prevent land mafia and other vested interests from converting agricultural land into non-agricultural practices.
The legislation titled Jammu and Kashmir Prohibition on Conversion of Agricultural Land for Non-Agricultural Purposes – 2011 was tabled in the state Assembly and was introduced by the Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir. Once the law comes into force, a land owner would lose the independent right to use agriculture land for any other activity including construction purpose without seeking permission from a competent authority which could either be head of the district administration or Divisional Commissioner. The bill states that for seeking permission for conversion of land an applicant would require to apply before a competent authority along with fee to be prescribed by the Government. No fee would be charged for conversion of agricultural land up to one kanal per family for construction of a house or cattle shed or store house. The government would be setting up a board to be named State Land Use Board, tasked to check the practice of land conversion and ensure optimal usage of the agriculture land. The bill was drafted by a 3-member committee consisting of Ministers for Agriculture, Revenue and Law. The setting up of the committee was necessitated after it was observed that the state was observing the conversion of the land at alarming rate. The bill mentions that any violator of the act shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to one year or with fine which shall not be less than 10 per cent of the market value of the land as notified under rules or with both. The proposed legislation would override every other law framed from time to time vis-à-vis protection of the agriculture land..
However, as a result of stiff opposition from some members belonging to the opposition and to the ruling alliance the Bill was referred to the select committee. Despite the passage of over two months the Select Committee is yet to give its opinion because reports indicated that influential politicians, belonging to the opposition and to the ruling NC and the Congress, besides senior bureaucrats and police officers were trying to either scuttle the Bill or modify it to suit the land grabbers. Reports said that the basic purpose of adoption of the bill was to impose restrictions on unhindered use of agricultural lands for non-farming practices which had been the main reason for marked decline in food production. Since it was simply mono-cropping practices being carried out in Jammu and Kashmir the state needed more land for cultivation of rice, wheat, pulses and maize. Though not much time has been lost it would be better if the Chief Minister intervened and motivated the select committee members to return the Bill with its approval or recommendations to the Assembly secretariat so that the piece of legislation was adopted in the net Assembly session in September. There is need for another bill that could impose sever e penalties on those who try to convert forest lands for non-forestry activities.
There is law to prohibit it but the penalties for violators were not heavy with the result encroachment on forest land continued in the state
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