Land of Kashmiri Pandits retrieved in Valley: CM

Jammu, Mar 28: The government on Saturday said it had retrieved and restored encroached land belonging to Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.

Replying to a question by BJP MLA Yudhvir Sethi in the Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “Land measuring 3729 kanal and 4 marlas belonging to Kashmiri migrants has been retrieved and restored in the Kashmir Valley.”

Since November 2024, 844 kanals and 4 marlas of land belonging to Kashmiri Pandits have been retrieved and restored, he said.

The CM, who holds charge of the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, said the retrieval process was being carried out under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection and Restraint on Distress Sales) Act.

The district administrations, led by Deputy Commissioners acting as custodians of migrant properties, have made efforts to restore land to the owners, he said.

Sharing district-wise details, CM Omar said land had been restored in Shopian (283 kanals), Baramulla (225 kanals), and Ganderbal (146 kanals), among others, while smaller portions were restored in Anantnag, Bandipora, Budgam, Kulgam, Kupwara, Pulwama, and Srinagar districts.

Additional Deputy Commissioners have been designated as nodal officers for expeditious case disposal, while a steering committee constituted in January is overseeing implementation and streamlining the restoration process, the CM said.

He also said that an online grievance redressal portal was operational, with 10,173 applications received, of which 9713 had been disposed of and 7829 approved, with just 24 cases pending.

CM Omar said he had directed the Deputy Commissioners to register FIRs in encroachment cases, create geo-tagged inventories, ensure transparent property handover, and regularly update revenue records and monitor distress sales.

The administration has also planned outreach camps in Jammu from April 1 to April 28 for on-the-spot grievance redressal.

Highlighting the welfare measures, the CM said financial assistance of Rs 3250 per person per month, subject to Rs 13,000 per family, was being provided through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode, along with free ration benefits.

He also said that 5248 two-room tenements had been constructed, while 4112 out of 6000 transit accommodation units had been completed.

Further, 6000 government jobs had been sanctioned, of which 5896 appointments had been made, while social security schemes, scholarships, and other support measures were being extended to the migrant families, CM Omar said.