Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir's former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that the new laws about conversion of agricultural land into nonagricultural purposes are meant to bring demographic changes in the erstwhile state.
"JK admin’s new policy enabling conversion of agricultural land to nonagricultural purposes reveals their nefarious designs of engineering demographic changes," Mehbooba said in a tweet on Friday.
She said the development agenda is a ruse.
"Latest regulation doesn’t even require the 15 year domicile certificate as a prerequisite," she said.
The Administrative Council led by LG Manoj Sinha and attended by Advisor Farooq Khan, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta and Principal Secretary to LG Niteshwar Kumar, on Thursday approved the regulations framed by the board of revenue for conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.
A government spokesman said on Thursday that the decision is aimed at ensuring production of sufficient quantity of food grains, besides promoting orderly growth of industrial and services sector in the Union territory, as well as creation of employment.
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"By this, the UT will be at par with the leading States of the country in allowing the conversion and reducing compliance burden under Business Reforms Action Plan (Ease of Doing Business) in an investor friendly eco-system," the spokesman said in a statement.
These regulations enable easy conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural activities which was banned by laws before abrogation of Article 370.
Under the new regulations, the District Collector has been empowered to grant permission to the change in land use from agricultural to non-agricultural purposes in accordance with the procedure as to be notified by the board of Revenue, the government said in a statement on Thursday.
"The permission is to be granted within 30 days of filing of the application with a provision of deemed approval if no decisions are taken," it said.
"The powers have been delegated to the District Collector to grant permission for land up to 12 ½ standard acres against a fee of 5 per cent of the market value of the land notified under the Stamps Act," the spokesman said.
It said the regulations empower the applicant to commence the non agriculture use on the permitted land within one year from the date of the order issued by the District Collector in this behalf.
However, the land can be diverted and used only for the purpose specified in the permission.
The spokesman said the regulations provide exemption from seeking the permission in cases of conversion for construction of residential house or farm-related buildings and storages with a ceiling of 400 Sq. meters (17 Marla).
The new regulations are contrary to the land laws which the LG administration introduced in November 2020.
The spokesman claimed the new laws will afford protection to over 90% of the land in the Union Territory.
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“A number of protections have been built into the new land laws on similar lines enacted in States such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. No agricultural land can be transferred to any person from outside the UT of J&K,” then J&K spokesman and Principal Secretary, Information, Rohit Kansal, had said.
He had said the laws will not only afford protection to over 90% of the land in J&K from being alienated to outsiders but will also help revamp the agriculture sector, foster rapid industrialisation, aid economic growth and create jobs.
Following the abrogation of Article 370, central government led by BJP has said that Jammu and Kashmir will open up for industrialisation and private investments.
Jammu and Kashmir has created land bank by freeing up state land across the state and has created industrial zones in the 22 districts where it is mulling private investors and industrialists to set up business.
The exercise has been criticized by the political parties, except the BJP, who apprehend that all these new decisions are being made for demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir and settle non-locals as the government has already amended state subject laws which have made grating domicile certificates easy for outsiders after fulfilling few conditions.
