Saima Bhat
October 8, 2012
Srinagar
The J&K government said that it has already initiated a process to vacate all government as well as private buildings under the occupation of security forces in the state. The government will also compensate land owners whose land was acquired for construction of a fence along the border in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Details provided in the assembly today reveal that the State government has already prepared the proposal to compensate the farmers whose land has come under border fencing in various border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
The 135 ft wide border fencing along the international border in the Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu division pass through 118 villages in these districts.
So far the revenue papers of 55 villages have been prepared, out of which the cases of 28 villages are under the consideration for the issuance of NOCs for the acquisition of the aforesaid land by BSF.
In Kashmir division, 437.31 kanals of land in Bandipora, Gurez, Kupwara, Tangdar and Keran has come under the border fencing. But the Deputy commissioner Bandipora has sent requisition for 340.17 kanals of land in Gurez only. State is waiting for the release of rental funds by the army authorities and then they will further follow the cases with land owners.
The documents made available in the legislative assembly reveal that state has provided an ex-gratia relief to the families of those who were killed or handicapped permanently due to the cross firing along the border areas of Jammu division.
The state is still looking for alternative accommodations in the same areas from where security forces will be vacated in order to maintain the area dominance.
But at the same time government showed its helplessness in vacating town hall Sopore, as it remains under the occupation of 179 Bn CRPF, by citing non availability of alternate accommodation in the vicinity for them.
Moreover the industrial estate at Sopore which is under occupation of 177 Bn CRPF has been vacated partially and the CRPF battalion has been shifted to Tulibal Sopore. But the rest house of the irrigation department at Watlab continues to be under the occupation of the Army.
While government forces continue to occupy the state and private land, in Dumi Sobka and Gurha Pattan villages locals have alleged that they are being prevented from performing the cremation of their dead at a cremation shed situated on the banks of river Chinab adjacent to an Army camp
