Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed two top authorities of the government to remain present before it on August 12 in case they failed to report on policy related to renewal of leases in Gulmarg.
“Let the reply and the action taken report on lease renewal policy be filed before or by the next date of hearing, failing which commissioner Secretary Revenue department J&K and Chief Executive Officer, Gulmarg Development Authority shall remain present in court in person, a division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and justice Sanjay Dhar said while hearing a related plea in a Public Interest Litigation.
The direction came after advocate S A Makroo on behalf of an applicant pointed out that despite opportunities the authorities have not filed the reply and the matter was being delayed unnecessarily. Makroo said the authorities have failed to frame a policy with regard to lease renewal.
In 2019, the court had directed the government to come up with a policy on renewal of the leases in Gulmarg. But no policy has been framed by the government so far.
While most of the property leases have expired, the government has constituted a committee in 2019 to frame the policy.
With regard to the properties in Gulmarg the court had earlier directed CEO Gulmarg Development Authority to submit a comprehensive report detailing the beneficiaries of the leased out premises, lease agreements with dates and other details.
The Authority was also directed to grant permission for constructional activity only after seeing to it that necessary documents were furnished by the applicants.
The documents which, the court said, should precede the permissions include sanction of the building plan or permission accompanied by the site plan, proof of ownership and title of the land, complete and detailed plan of the existing structures including measurements, permission granted for construction, video evidence of any portion of existing structures, video evidence and photographs of damaged partition sought to be repaired.