A delegation of affected farmers under the banner of Ring Road Land Owners Welfare Committee Kashmir on Wednesday met Divisional Commissioner Kashmir.
During the meeting, the delegation members requested the divisional commissioner to cancel old land acquisition notification issued in 2017 so that a fresh notification is issued under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency under Land Acquistion Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (RFCTLARR Act) is applicable in J&K also.
In a statement issued, Ring Road Land Owners Welfare Committee (RRLOWC) said, “The notification for Ring Road Srinagar was issued in 2017 for different villages at different times, but the final award was not prepared and the J&K Land Acquisition Act 1934 is clear on this that if the process of entire land acquisition is not completed in two years the notification becomes null and void.”
“More than three years and three months have lapsed and not even 1 km of Ring Road has been completed in Kashmir region and final awards have also not been prepared. In this scenario government has to declare old notification null and void and issue fresh notification under Right to Fair Compensation law which was not earlier applicable in J&K ” said G A Paul, President of RRLOWC Kashmir
” Deputy Commissioner Budgam in his official communication on 18th May 2020 has made it clear to the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir that notification issued in 2017 on various occasions especially in district Budgam has been lapsed due to efflux of time and this was impeding the collectorate work of Semi Ring Road in Budgam. We have once again provided a copy of this communication to Divisional Commissioner Kashmir” said Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat RTI activist who was also part of the delegation which met Divisional Commissioner Kashmir.