Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council, which met under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha gave its assent to authorise the Revenue Department to move an amendment to certain sections of the Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976, officials said on Sunday.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lt. Governor and Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir attended the meeting. The proposed amendments shall lift the prohibition on the transfer of land vested under some sections of the Act and bring it at par with the land vested under section 8 of the said Act. The proposed amendment bill will be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs for placing in the Parliament for enactment.
The enactment will be a relief to such landholders who were vested land under Section 6, 7 and 12 of the Agrarian Reforms Act, as this would enable them to sell off their land parcels, which was earlier prohibited under the Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976. The amendment will also lead to the vesting of revisional power to the Financial Commissioner Revenue which shall facilitate to dispose of the cases arising out of the said Act in the larger interest of the public.
The amendment comes amid a major anti-encroachment drive the administration has started against illegal encroachments. The UT government has ordered all deputy commissioners to remove encroachments on state land including Roshni Land and Kachharie land by January 31, 2023. The Supreme Court has refused to stay the anti-encroachment drive though it has asked the government not to demolish any houses.
