Domicile law for land, jobs likely in J&K? GoI expected to issue notification soon

ZT News Network

Srinagar: Government of India is believed to be seriously considering a a minimum fifteen-year stay for non-J&K residents to be able to buy land and take up jobs here.

Union Ministry of Home Affairs will shortly issue the necessary notification to protect the employment and land ownership rights of people of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh, a Jammu-based newspaper, quoting Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh, said.

However, all India Service (IAS/IPS/IFS) officers, who belong to different States but are on the J&K Cadre, will also become eligible for purchase of land while as their children will be entitled to apply for Government jobs as per the consensus reached in the power corridors in Delhi.

Pertinently, the BJP Jammu chapter and other political parties, including the Congress, NC, PDP and Panthers Party had openly expressed their disapproval to the recent advertisement notice by the Common High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh inviting applications on pan-India basis.

The Jammu BJP’s open divergence to the line taken at the centre is believed to be at the heart of reconsideration on the sensitive matter.

According to the newspaper, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also Member of Parliament from Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary Constituency, called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday morning and discussed the domicile issue. The meeting is also said to have been attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla.

Quoting sources, the newspaper said that the MHA was “already in the process of issuance of formal notification to protect the employment and land rights of the people of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh but because of pre-occupation of the Home Minister Amit Shah in handling the issues relating to Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) the same could not be issued.”

“The ongoing controversy will be settled with the issuance of notification on domicile issue by the Ministry of Home Affairs shortly”, Dr Jitendra Singh told EXCELSIOR while disclosing that a detailed discussion in this regard was going on in the MHA during the past over three months.

In response to a question, he said, “I have even spoken to the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Girish Chandra Murmu and conveyed to him that notices inviting applications for filling up of vacant posts in the Government departments should be issued only after the issuance of notification on the domicile issue by the Ministry of Home Affairs”.

According to the newspaper, a consensus has almost been reached in the Ministry of Home Affairs over fixing minimum 15 years active stay in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh for any citizen not belonging to erstwhile State to obtain benefits of employment and for purchase of land.

Meanwhile, as already reported, J&K High Court on Tuesday withdrew the Advertisement Notice for filling up of vacant posts of various categories.

“It is notified for the information of all the concerned that the Advertisement Notice No.9/2019 dated December 26, 2019 whereby applications were invited for different posts in non-gazetted category in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir stands withdrawn with immediate effect”, read the notification issued by Registrar General, Sanjay Dhar.