Jammu, Mar 20: The issue of non-state subjects having settled in Jammu and Kashmir by securing fake Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC) rocked the Legislative Council (LA) Wednesday with the members cutting across party lines demanding stern action against illegal settlers.
The issue stirred heated debate after the government admitted that some persons have been detected by the State Subject Commission with fake PRCs, while many others were doing business and living permanently in the state.
Earlier, Javed Rana, who raised the issue during the Question Hour, sought details about the non-state subjects having permanently settled in the state and the steps being taken by the government to evict them.
While the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were absent from the house, it was the members of  ruling National Conference (NC) and Congress  parties who raised a volley of supplementary questions seeking details about the number of non-state subjects found possessing PRCs and the steps taken by the government to extricate them and check the  practice in future.
Javed Rana said the government admitted that there are some outsiders who have settled in the state in the name of business. “Who have given permission to them to settle here permanently and what action government was going to take to evict them from the state”, he questioned.
He said fake state subjects were being issued to outsiders and if the government has proof that non-state subjects have managed to secure PRCs, what steps it has taken against the accused.
Expressing his concern, he said on the one hand state subjects displaced from within Jammu and Kashmir are denied rehabilitation, while on the other outsiders belonging to neighboring states have secured immovable property on the basis of fake PRCs.
Devinder Singh Rana said the state government had constituted the State Subject Commission to identify the persons possessing fake state subject documents. “Has the Commission detected any person with fake PRC and if so, will the government throw him out of the state,” he inquired.
Ghulam Nabi Monga demanded a discussion in the House considering the seriousness of the issue.
Shehnaz Ganai said that in past newspapers have carried news items identifying many outsiders possessing PRCs and sought the details about the action being taken by the government against such persons.
Sheikh Ghulam Rasool wanted to know whether the Commission has submitted its report and can it initiate suo-motto action against such defaulters.
Responding to the queries, the minister of state for Revenue, Aijaz Khan said that government can take action against the persons possessing fake PRCs, but it can not stop the entry of outsiders into Jammu and Kashmir. He also informed that as per law outsiders can take land on lease for setting up businesses in the state, while clarifying that by people living temporarily in the state he meant the West Pakistani Refugees.
He informed the House that the State Subject Commission has so far identified five persons possessing bogus PRCs and the government has directed the concerned departments to take legal action against them and takeover their immovable properties.
“I have asked the Deputy Commissioner to inform the revenue department if he has any such complaints,” he said adding that they would take legal action against such persons in a fixed time frame.
He further informed the House that the government has constituted a high level committee to make recommendations to modernize the existing process used for issuance of PRCs. He said   this step would also help identify the people possessing fake certificates.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 IST