SRINAGAR – The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Monday directed Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to ensure that there is non-conversion of agriculture land for commercial or any other purpose in the Kashmir Valley.
A division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rashid Ali Dar also directed police to provide required assistance to the civil administration in ensuring the purpose.
The court also issued a notice to the government through commissioner secretary Revenue department, divisional commissioner Kashmir and deputy commissioner Srinagar besides commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation on a fresh litigation, seeking directions to officials to prevent private respondents from conversion of nearly 40 kanals of agriculture land for non agriculture purposes by earth filling the land at Mujgund Srinagar.
The petitioner Tassaduq Hussain Ganie, a resident of Pulwama at present Jawahir Nagar Srinagar, also seeks direction commanding commissioner SMC not to issue any building permission to the private respondents for establishing the residential colony over the agriculture land. In case any building permission stands issued, the same may be kept on hold forthwith, the petitioner added.
Last month, the District Magistrate (DM) Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary issued an order directing for immediate holding of survey in respective Patwar Halqas on illegal conversion of agricultural land for commercial or residential purposes in the district and furnishing of updated lists with all relevant details.
The step has been taken to implement the directions of the J&K High Court and to ensure prevention of violations on ground of provisions of the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act (Section 13) and the J&K Land Revenue Act (Sections 133-A and 133-B), and stringent action as per law in case of violations thereof, an official spokesman said.
According to the order, all the Tehsildars have been directed to conduct extensive inspections within their respective jurisdictions and prepare lists of illegal constructions or conversion of agricultural land or earth-filling in water bodies or other illegal encroachments in their respective Tehsils and submitting detailed action plans for removals thereof.
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