Jammu and Kashmir directs DCs to cancel all mutations of illegally encroached lands immediately

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has directed deputy commissioners of Jammu division to cancel all mutations of illegally encroached land including those under the Roshni scheme from revenue records, and upload details of encroachers on websites of districts, officials said on Friday.

The scheme initially envisaged conferment of proprietary rights of around 20.55 lakh kanals of land (1,2,50 hectares) to occupants of which 15.85 per cent of land was approved for vesting of ownership rights.

But against the expected revenue from such occupants, the revenue actually generated was meagre, thereby failing to realise the objective of the scheme that was finally repealed by Satya Pal Malik, the former governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, on November 28, 2018.

On October 9, a division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rajesh Bindal ordered the CBI probe into irregularities in the scheme and directed the agency to file a status report every eight weeks.

The DCs are directed to cancel all mutations of illegally encroached land from revenue records and upload details on websites of the respective districts, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma said on Friday.

Verma, who held a video conference with all DCs, asked the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu division to submit details of transferred land under Roshni Act and other encroached state land in the district.

The Jammu and Kashmir State Land (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act, 2001, popularly referred to as the Roshni scheme or the Roshini Act, was believed to be a revolutionary step that had the twin objectives of generating resources for financing power projects and conferment of proprietary rights to occupants of state land.

Verma passed these directions at a video conference meeting with the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu division convened in this regard. The Divisional Commissioner directed the DCs to submit details in prescribed format regarding land transferred under roshni Act in their respective districts.

He asked them to share details including number of beneficiaries in whose favour the land has been transferred, total number of land whether it is residential or agriculture, occupation of the beneficiary.

Verma also asked the DCs to share details of other state land encroached in their respective districts.

The Divisional Commissioner also directed the DCs to hold meetings with concerned officers and finalise stamp duty rates of the immovable property in the districts.