Jammu, Mar 30: With number of flaws emerging in much hyped Roshni Act in the state, Revenue Department has constituted a committee to review it and recommend changes.
 In response to the queries by Legislative Assembly Committee on estimates, Revenue department has admitted that the act has failed to achieve its targets since its implementation in the state.
 Department has submitted that main cause of poor implementation was variation in the rates of land in different areas of the state besides court stays at some places.
 “Department has constituted a committee to clear ambiguities in the scheme and the same will be considered for effecting certain clarifications in the act”, Commissioner Secretary Revenue has submitted.
 Committee on Estimates, headed by MLA, G M Saroori has said," At times questions have been raised over the act and it is alleged that all the benefits under the law go to land mafia and not to common masses".
 The committee has said that the implementation of Roshni Act in letter and spirit was a vital issue and if some amendments were being proposed by department in order to make it smooth and equitable that should definitely be recommended to government which would ultimately bring the same in the Legislature.
 On settlement of land, the committee has further observed that shortage of trained staff besides long duration period required for completing the process was proving an obstacle in way of completion the process and directed the department to explore possibility of engaging employees on contractual basis.  The committee also expressed concern over the non-completion of the settlement process despite lapse of almost 20 years.
 Pertinently, the J&K Assembly had passed the Roshni Bill on February 9, 2007. The government had termed the decision “historic” and next only to the passing of the Land to the Tiller Act by the State’s first Prime Minister, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, who took land from the feudal lords and handed it over to tillers without any compensation.
 As per the scheme, ownership of the government land which is under farmers’ cultivation was to be given to them at a meager rate of 10 per cent of the rate prevailing in their respective areas. The total ceiling of the agriculture land owned by a farmer including his proprietary land and government land, which can be purchased by him, was not to exceed 100 kanals as prescribed under the Agrarian Reforms Act.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:00:00 IST