Srinagar, Oct 4: The occupation of a unit and a large tract of land by the army in the Industrial Estate Zainakote is creating impediments in the smooth working in the estate.
 The unit holders said that Kashmir Alkaloids, a poultry feed unit, and some 30 kanals in the IE had been under the occupation of army for the past over two decades.
 President of the estate, Shahi Jehan, said the industrial unit belonged to a migrant Kashmiri Pandit, “who has given his unit on rent to the Army.”
 “He is simply not interested in running the unit, nor does he want the Army to vacate it because he is getting huge rent from the Army, where as he pays a paultry Rs 10,000 as rent to SICOP per annum,” said Shahi Jehan.
 President, Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir, Shakeel Qalandar, said the industrial units were not meant for any other purpose than for the industrial activities.   He said the occupation of the particular industrial unit by forces had affected the business activities of other units as well.
 “If the particular unit holder is not interested in running this unit, the property should be taken back from him and given to bona fide entrepreneurs,” said Qalandar.
 Jehan said besides the unit, around 30 Kanal of land in the estate were under the occupation of Army. He said the army had also laid barricades in a lane in the IE leading to three other industrial units.
  “These three units have thus been indirectly affected because of barricades. Though army allow people to pass after proper frisking, yet commuters feel uneasy to pass between the barricades to reach the units,” said Shahi Jehan.
 “And that is why customers are not ready to visit these units, by which the unit holders suffer huge losses,” he said.
 He demanded that the land should be vacated from Army and given to deserving unit holders, who can run their units in a kanal or two. “The 30 kanals can accommodate more than 15 deserving units that can generate employment,” he said.
 To mention, Zainakote IE is among the three industrial estates, for which the government had fixed a deadline of March 31, 2009 for troop withdrawal. The other two being Sopur and Zukura IEs.
 The order was issued by the State Administrative Council on December 26, 2008. But even as six months have passed since the deadline ended, the troopers continue to occupy these estates.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 4 Oct 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:00:00 IST