Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah slam land use policy changes

Srinagar, December 17

Former Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah Friday lashed out at the Jammu and Kashmir administration for changes in the land use laws, claiming the new policy would adversely impact the people of the Union Territory.

Mehbooba Mufti, the PDP president, alleged the new laws enabling conversion of agricultural land to nonagricultural purposes reveals “designs to engineer demographic change” in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The development agenda is a ruse. Latest regulation doesn’t even require the 15-year domicile certificate as a prerequisite,” she tweeted.

NC leader Omar Abdullah said the changes in the land use rules would undo the major reform undertaken in the erstwhile state. “Allowing use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes is another nail in the coffin of the ‘land to the tiller’ reforms in J&K. This reform has been a major reason for the low levels of poverty and it will also threaten the food security of J&K people,” he said. — PTI

Will hit locals

After depriving locals of their rightful share of government jobs, such policy decisions that pave way for outsiders to buy land in J&K will only further disempower them. — Mehbooba Mufti, PDP president