Demanding fair compensation against their lands acquired for the Ring Road projects, the affected farmers of Jammu and Kashmir have constituted a coordination committee that will chalk out a strategy to press the government for the redressal of their grievances.
The committee comprises of GA Paul, SaratDubey, DP Sharma, Dr Raja Muzaffar, Balvinder Singh, Chaman Sharma, Harbans Singh, Haji GhulamHussain, Ghulam Ali, Sohbat Ali, Satpal Sharma, Ali Mohammad Wani and others.
A press statement said that the worst affected farmers of Jammu and Samba districts under the banner of Ring Road Jammu KissanSangharshSamiti and of Budgam district under the banner of Semi Ring Road Land Owners Welfare Committee Kashmir met here in Jammu on Thursday and decided to hold a joint press conference in Jammu on Monday.
Earlier, the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir provinces met the Advisor to Governor, KK Sharma and Chief Secretary BVR Subramanhayam and apprised them about the difficulties they were facing due to land acquisition process in Kashmir Valley and Jammu division.
The press statement said that the farmers of the twin provinces told the Advisor and the Chief Secretary that more than 9000 kanals of their land is being acquired for the Ring Road projects.
They sought to know from the authorities if central law on land acquisition was not applicable in J&K, why the State government is not following its own law in letter and spirit.
“Private Negotiation (PNC) is a provision in J&K Land Acquisition Act 1934, but government and NHAI are not agreeing to private negotiation. We have raised this issue with the Chief Secretary as well,” said GA Paul, president of affected farmers in Kashmir.
Paul said, “We also discussed with Governor and his Advisors the reasons for the low stamp duty rates in Jammu district and appealed them for the grant of compensation to those people who were cultivating custodian land in RS Pura, Marh and Bhalwal tehsils.”