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| PM approves land under Army to be vacated in south Kashmir, but what about Jammu city? | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 18: For the time being PDP Chief and head of the coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir state, Mehbooba Mufti, needs to forget about her party's ideology and her Kashmir centric stand as that creates additional problems for the BJP. She has to be concerned about the welfare of the BJP as the BJP leadership is equally concerned about her standing as a politician. Well the first thing that has not been allowed to happen for the last 20 years is nearing to happen. And all this has become possible with the support of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who has cleared the project of handing over about 450 kanals of land to the state Government. The land has remained in the occupation of the Army for various official activities. It is a case of three Chief Ministers having failed to get the prime land vacated by the Army for the last over 20 years and it is a case of a new political leader, Mehbooba Mufti, achieving success in getting the prime land at three places vacated by the Army. And the ultimate task was completed by Narendra Modi.
When the prime land is restored to the state Government it could result in the expansion of Kashmir University's South Campus in Anantnag, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Government's proposal for vacating nearly 458 kanals of land in Army's possession for expansion of Kashmir University that was facing shortage of space. Is this an act to strengthen the PDP or the BJP ? It seems that Modi wants to support PDP so that the coalition Government survives which meant survival for the BJP. But it could mean survival of the BJP ministers but the vote bank for the BJP is completely eroded.
But what about the land under Army close to the University of Jammu. The Jammu university authorities too want the campus to be expanded and if Modi is interested in strengthening the BJP he should also suggest to the Army to vacate the land which they are using as transit camp. And the state Government should acquire another piece of land in the city where the Army could establish the transit camp.
Highly-placed sources said the Prime Minister, after his return from the five-nation tour, had called a meeting on Kashmir during which he asked the Defence Ministry to hand over the 'High Ground' in Anantnag to the State at the earliest so that the expansion plan of South Campus of Kashmir University can be carried out.
Well by doing so Modi may have earned the goodwill of people in south Kashmir but what about the Jammu university which wants the land, occupied by the Army for the transit accommodation of troops for expanding the campus. During the meeting, the Prime Minister said the Centre was committed to all-round improvement of education in the State, official sources said. The Army had in-principle been agreeable to vacating the land for quite sometime but a decision by its headquarters got delayed. A senior professor at the South campus said that last year former Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, visited the Campus twice and he was keen that the land be transferred to the Kashmir University.
The latest deadline for vacating the land was March 31 which was agreed upon during a meeting early this year chaired by State Governor N N Vohra but Army was waiting for final clearance.
The Army holds nearly 2005.24 kanals of land in Anantnag district since early 1990s. Around 690 kanals of land that was meant for developing a residential colony was acquired by the Housing Board but it was occupied by Army in early 1990s. They had already developed parks and roads in the area when Army took it over.
The land is adjacent to South Campus in Fatehgarh area near an army camp. It was being used by the Army for landing helicopters despite the force having a similar facility at Khanabal, a few kilometres from there. 346.7 Kanals of land, which was earlier in the Army's possession, was transferred to the university in 2004 when the Campus was established by former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
The Tattoo grounds have been already vacated by the Army. However, in the interest of the security of the people in the state, especially in the Kashmir valley, it will not be feasible to remove Army presence in the valley in full. In the light of the activities of militants and separatists, that smells of communal tension and trouble, the Government can not remove the Army and the paramilitary forces. Yes, the Army's presence can be reduced and those companies that are available from the reduction in the valley, should be deployed on the LOC where agencies across the border have been quite active in pushing groups of militants into Kashmir for raising the level of violence.
A section of people, Mehbooba should note it, were trying to create a situation in which the Army units were withdrawn from within the valley so that militants and separatists enjoy the field day.. This section of people is trying to create hatred between people and the Army so that the coalition Government was not in a position to accept any role for the Army within the civilian areas. |
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