Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday transferred more than 4000 kanals of land to the army for operational purposes in tourist spots that are visited by lakhs of visitors every year in the UT.
According to an order issued by the Secretary of Tourism, 1034 kanals, and 6 marlas land has been transferred to the army in ski-resort Gulmarg while 354 kanals of land has been transferred to the army in Sonmarg, known as the golden meadow.
Gulmarg falls in Baramulla district while Sonmarg is located in the Ganderbal district of the Valley.
The administration has transferred 3247 and 17 Marlas of land in the Badheri tehsil of Samba in the Jammu region to the army for firing and artillery practice.
The land has been transferred under the strategic area category, the exercise which was facilitated under new land laws implemented in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
The Ministry of Home Affairs Govt of India in October 2020 announced that any local area in Jammu and Kashmir can be declared as strategic by the government on the written request of the army.
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“Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the Government may on the written request of an Army officer not below the rank of Corp Commander, declare an area as Strategic Area within a local area, only for direct operational and training requirements of armed forces, which may be excluded from the operation of this Act and rules/regulations made thereunder in the manner and to the extent specified in the declaration and the Government may satisfy itself about the reasons cited for declaring the area as strategic area and will have such area notified accordingly with such conditions as may be required,” the government order says.
As per the order issued today by the Tourism department, it said that the Corps Commander applied for the land transfer under the "Strategic Area" category.
"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of section 3 of Jammu and Kashmir Development Act, 1970, the Government on the request of Corp Commander hereby declares land measuring 1034 Kanals 06 Marlas situated at Gulmarg as detailed in Annexure "A" to this notification and land measuring 354 Kanals situated at Sonmarg as "Strategic Areas" for operational and training requirements of Armed Forces," the order read.
While transferring the land, the Tourism Department has asked the army's Corps Commander to ensure strict adherence to the environment-related laws to prevent any environmental hazard.
"The Corp Commander shall ensure that no other applicable law in force in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is observed in the breach. The Corp Commander shall ensure that the Order (s), if any, passed by any Hon'ble Court / Tribunal in this regard, are strictly adhered to by order of the Government of J& K."
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About transferring land to the army for firing and artillery range in Samba district, the government as per order said, "In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (1) of Section 9 of the Manoeuvres, Field Firing and Artillery Practice Act,1938, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir hereby defines the area, measuring 3247 Kanals & 17 Marlas, situated at Bagheri, Tehsil and District Samba."
The land area has been transferred for 10 years "for the purpose of carrying out periodically, field firing and artillery practice, as per the agreed Standard Operating Procedure ( SOP )," the order said.
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang Kadburao Pole, said that the land is already under the use of the army for decades for training and other relevant things.
"At Gulmarg and Sonamarg, training at high altitude are conducted for which the army has already acquired land there and some is requisitioned land. No new area is being added."
