Srinagar Ring Road farmers want fresh notification for land acquisition; meet Div Comm

ZT NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR: A delegation of farmers whose land is earmarked to be used for the Srinagar Ring Road, under the banner of Ring Road Land Owners Welfare Committee Kashmir, on Wednesday met Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, P K Pole, and urged upon him to declare old land acquisition notification issued in 2017 null and void so that a “fresh notification is issued under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency under Land Acquistion Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (RFCTLARR Act).”

In a statement issued by the Committee, the farmers said that the notification for Ring Road Srinagar was issued in 2017 for different villages at different times but the final award was not prepared and the J&K Land Acquisition Act 1934 is clear on this that if the process of entire land acquisition is not completed in 2 years the notification becomes null and void.

“More than 3 years and 3 months have lapsed and not even 1 km of Ring Road has been completed in Kashmir region and final awards have also not been prepared. In this scenario Government has to declare old notification null and void and issue fresh notification under Right to Fair Compensation law which was not earlier applicable in J&K”, said G A Paul President of Ring Road Land Owners Welfare Committee Kashmir.

“Deputy Commissioner Budgam vide his official communication number DCB/LAS/20/300 -10 Dated 18.05.2020 has made it clear to the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir that notification issued in 2017 on various occasions especially in district Budgam has been lapsed due to efflux of time and this was impeding the collectorate work of Semi Ring Road in Budgam. We have once again provided a copy of this communication to Divisional Commissioner Kashmir” said Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat RTI activist who was also part of the delegation which met Divisional Commissioner Kashmir.

Later, a condolence meeting was presided by Patron of the organization Haji Ghulam Hussain which took a serious note of the suicide committed by Harbans Lal an affected farmer of Jammu Ring road as his house was allegedly bulldozed in Bishnah area by authorities during land acquisition few days back and the affected land owner was reported to have committed suicide.