CRPF seeks land for permanent camps in Jammu and Kashmir

One year after the abrogation of article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the CRPF has sought land for permanent camps from Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla. This comes in the backdrop of defence and infrastructure in the existing temporary camps.

Srinagar: The Central Reserve Police Force with 61 battalions in Jammu and Kashmir have sought transfer of land for them to construct permanent camping sites and family accommodation for their personnel.

Director General CRPF A P Maheswari has in August written a letter on August 17 this year to the Union Home Secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, in which he had identified land sites at 28 locations in 15 districts of Jammu and Kashmir to be transferred to the paramilitary forces for the construction of Battalion Camps Sites (BCS). The letter has been accessed by ETV Bharat in which DG has sought transfer of land for CRPF accommodation.

Citing defence and infrastructure in the existing temporary camps, the DGP has said that the paramilitary forces need "secure defence and adequate infrastructure for our personnel and create limited family accommodation in the nature of holiday homes, in these BCS to house visiting families of our personnel by rotation, to address issues of morale and long separation."

The locations in Jammu include in Ramban district, where the CRPF has sought 41.77 acres (334 Kanal) of land. Its requests for Kathua, Jammu, Udhampur, Doda, Reasi and Rajouri are unspecified.

In Kashmir, the CRPF has identified 20 locations in Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara, Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian. It wants around 8 acres in Srinagar’s Zakura area, around 5 acres in Ganderbal, 5 acres in Pulwama’s Kakapora area and around 7 acres in Qazigund.

Following the letter, the Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla held a meeting with Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir B V R Subramanium, Principal Secretary Home Shaleen Kabra, Director General of Police, JK, Dilbagh Singh and Director General CRPF A P Maheswari on September 16 through video conferencing.

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The transfer of land to security forces in Jammu and Kashmir was not possible under the land rules of the erstwhile state. However, after the abrogation of Article 370, the Ministry of Home Affairs, governing the affairs of the JK UT, withdrew a circular of 1971 which restrained security forces from acquiring or requisitioning land.

The withdrawal of the circular opened the doors for land transfer to security forces for the establishment of camps and other strategic requirements.

1971 circular, which required security forces like the Army, BSF, CRPF, and others to seek a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the state’s home department to acquire land, was replaced on July 24 by the Central law on land acquisition – the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 – that is applicable across the country.

The order issued by the UT’s revenue department stated, “In view of the extension of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 to the UT, the circular dated 27.08.1971, which prescribed obtaining of No Objection Certificate from the Home Department for acquisition/ requisition of land in favour of Army, BSF/CRPF and similar organisations are hereby withdrawn.”

The 2013 Central law allows land to be acquired “for strategic purposes relating to the naval, military, air force, and armed forces of the Union, including central paramilitary forces or any work vital to national security or defence of India or State police, the safety of the people”.

Repeated attempts to reach Pawan Kotwal, Principal Secretary Revenue, JK, could not materialise as he didn't reply to phone calls from ETV Bharat.

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