DM orders mandatory tenant, employee verification in Jammu by November 6

Authorities in Jammu have made it mandatory for all landlords, property owners, and business establishments to disclose details of their tenants, domestic helpers, and employees to the local police within seven days, officials said on Saturday.

District Magistrate Rakesh Minhas said the order, issued on Friday under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), follows a report from the Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, highlighting the need for such a verification.

It comes a couple of days before the reopening of move offices, which were closed in Srinagar on October 31 and are scheduled to reopen here on November 3 in accordance with the age-old practice of ‘Darbar Move’.

According to the directive, all property owners, contractors, and commercial establishment heads must submit particulars of their tenants and workers through a declaration form, duly signed by both the owner and the tenant/worker, either in person or via registered post to the SHO concerned.

Those who have already rented out premises or engaged workers prior to the issuance of the order must furnish the details by November 6, the directive said. Those who will do so in the future will have to similarly inform the SHO within the stipulated period of seven days.

The order directs every police station in Jammu district to maintain a separate register for tenant and employee verification records.

It clarified that all arrangements of hiring workers, as well as letting or sub-letting the property to paying guests and tenants, shall be covered by this order.

Any violation of the order will attract legal action under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the order said.

Under the Darbar Move system in Jammu and Kashmir, government offices function from Srinagar during the summer months and shift to Jammu in the winter.

The tradition was reinstated by the Omar Abdullah government on October 16, after being abolished by the lieutenant governor’s administration in 2021.

Asks to curb misuse of courier services for drug trafficking

Jammu: Aiming to curb the misuse of courier services for drug trafficking, authorities in Jammu have imposed strict restrictions on transport of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (NDPS) through courier and logistics networks in the district.

Invoking powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, the order prohibits any courier company, parcel service or logistics operator in Jammu from accepting, booking or transporting narcotics or other contraband items without valid transport permits under NDPS rules and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Jammu District Magistrate Rakesh Minhas said the order will come into force with immediate effect and shall remain in force for eight weeks, and may be further extended or modified.

“Any contravention of this order shall attract legal consequences under section 223 of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” Minhas said in a two-page order issued on Friday.

Minhas asked the service providers to verify the identity and credentials of consignors and consignees, including valid government-issued identity proof, and maintain complete records of consignments, including booking receipts and date of booking.

They were also asked to maintain a record of the mode of payment received against each consignment, along with transaction details, and ensure that all employees engaged in courier services are duly verified by local police. An updated register of verified employees has to be maintained, too, the order read.

The owners were directed to provide training and sensitisation to employees to identify suspicious consignments, and to report them to the police.

“Any courier company/agency found violating this order shall be held personally and legally responsible,” the order read, directing the Jammu SSP to ensure strict enforcement of the restrictions and initiate necessary legal action against defaulters.