GoM to monitor disposal of 9,400 enemy properties

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, January 23

The government today announced that a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah will monitor the disposal of over 9,400 enemy properties, which are likely to fetch about Rs 1 lakh crore to the exchequer.

As per the official order, other members of the GoM will be Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

The order further said besides the GoM, there would be two other high-level committees, one to be headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other to be co-chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, which will work for disposal of immovable enemy properties vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India under the Enemy Property Act.

Enemy properties were those left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China.

The order said an Inter-Ministerial Group would be constituted for the disposal of enemy properties and it would be co-chaired by the union home secretary and the secretary of the department of investment and public asset management.

Representatives of the MHA, department of economic affairs, department of expenditure, department of public enterprises, department of legal affairs and the ministry of corporate affairs among others will be the members of the inter-ministerial group.

A Core Group of Secretaries on Asset Monetisation (CGAM) will be constituted under the chairmanship of the cabinet secretary and comprising secretary, department of economic affairs; secretary, department of revenue; secretary, department of expenditure; secretary, department of public enterprises; secretary, ministry of corporate affairs; secretary, department of legal affairs; secretary, urban development; union home secretary and secretary, department of investment and public asset management.

There are 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals and 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals.

In 2018, the then union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir had informed the Rajya Sabha that “the estimated value of all enemy properties is approximately Rs 1 lakh crore”.

Among the 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals, the highest 4,991 properties are located in Uttar Pradesh, followed by West Bengal, which has 2,735 such estates. There are 487 such properties in Delhi.

Among the 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals, the highest 57 are located in Meghalaya, followed by West Bengal with 29. Assam has seven such properties.

Box:

Enemy properties are those left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China

9,280 properties were left behind by Pakistani nationals

126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals

4,991 properties left by Pak nationals are in Uttar Pradesh

Rs1 lakh crore estimated value of all enemy properties