Govt firm, CM draws line on land bill

Srinagar, Oct 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday rejected a private member’s bill moved by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed Para that sought to grant ownership rights to residents who have built houses on state or common land.

The government opposed the proposal, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah warning that such legislation would “open the floodgates for land grab” across J&K.

Para, representing Pulwama, had introduced ‘Bill to Provide Special Provisions for Recognising Proprietary Rights of Houses Constructed on State, Kacharia, Common and Shamilat Land,’ arguing that it was meant to secure the “right to shelter” under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The proposed law aimed to regularise constructions on such lands by transferring ownership to occupants.

However, the CM firmly rejected the idea, recalling the controversy surrounding the now-scrapped Roshni Scheme.

“On the surface, it looks simple – if someone has built a house on government land, just give it to him. But we have seen how that ended with the Roshni scheme.

“It began as a way to convert leasehold into freehold for pre-militancy leaseholders, but later the safeguards were removed, leading to massive controversy and court intervention,” CM Omar told the House.

He said the bill went “far beyond Roshni” as it lacked any cut-off date and could not be defended in court.

“There’s already a policy under PMAY to grant land to the landless. We can’t legitimise illegal encroachments under any pretext,” he said, urging Para to withdraw the bill.

Para defended his move, saying the government could not render homeless those who already live on State land.

“If you are giving land to the landless, will you make homeless those who already have homes on such land? This issue affects all of J&K,” he said, invoking the legacy of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.

The CM responded that Abdullah’s land reforms were meant for tillers, not encroachers.

“Land to tiller was about justice, not legitimising land grab. We will not open that door again,” he said.

The exchange turned sharp when Para claimed that the bill could also benefit the CM’s relatives.

CM Omar replied, “My relatives were leaseholders, not illegal occupants. I wouldn’t bring such a bill even for my family.”

Despite repeated requests to withdraw the proposal, Para pressed for a vote.

The bill was put to a voice vote by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather and secured support from only three members, leading to its rejection.

In total, six private members’ bills were taken up during the session.

Four of them - moved by legislators Tanvir Sadiq, Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami, Mir Saifullah, and Nizamuddin Bhat - were withdrawn after the government assured that their concerns would be incorporated into future policies.

Two bills moved by Waheed Para and Balwant Singh Mankotia were rejected by the House with a voice vote.

The debate over Parra’s bill had drawn political attention even before the session began, with reports suggesting that PDP President Mehbooba Mufti had linked her party’s support to the National Conference (NC) in the Rajya Sabha elections to the introduction of the bill in the Assembly.