After MoS Asiea Naqash criticised an “arbitrary decision” of industries and commerce department allocating 246 kanals of industrial land at erstwhile HMT premises at Zainakote for construction of a police housing colony, industry body Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry has hailed the minister’s ‘pro-industry’ statement.
Greater Kashmir was the first to report about the land transfer in January this year. Several industry bodies have been objecting the land transfer citing that industrial land should not be utilised to set-up a security establishment.
MoS industries as per media reports had recently said that the decision to transfer land for construction of the police housing colony was “not of the government but that of the commissioner secretary, industries and commerce”. However, in an interview to a local news agency the commissioner secretary had said that land transfer was “a cabinet decision”.
“The minister’s statement has confirmed the stand taken by the KCCI. It has also exposed the designs of vested interests in the industries and commerce department bent upon choking the limited resources available for development of industries in Kashmir,” KCCI said in a written statement. “Kashmiri business community is becoming a target of regional and institutional bias and discrimination,” it added.
After Jammu and Kashmir Government retrieved back erstwhile HMT Factory premises from the possession of the Union ministry of heavy industries ministry last year, 246 kanal of the industrial land was transferred to J&K Police for construction of a housing colony, while 80 kanal have been allotted to paramilitary SSB for construction of sector headquarters. Several unit holders had hit the streets against this decision but the government was unmoved which had even prepared a detailed project report for developing industrial units on only 201 kanals out of the total 527 kanals of land.
KCCI in its statement has stated that members of the cabinet have been “misled” by the department through “resorting to suppression and twisting of facts”.
The KCCI has urged members of the state cabinet to ascertain the facts of the issue and review any decision which seeks to snatch property reserved for industrial development for any other use. “KCCI also appeals to all elected representatives in the Legislative Assembly to take note of the objectionable conduct of mischievous elements in the administration and take necessary action in this regard,” the statement said.
The transfer of erstwhile HMT land to J&K Police and SSB has brewed up resentment amongst residents and local industrialists in Zainakote.
A large part of the industrial land is already under occupation of Central Reserved Police Force. The industry unit holders at the estates said establishment of camps is aimed to disempower industrialists in the valley.