J&K Govt Declares 1388 Kanals of Land in Gulmarg, Sonmarg as 'Strategic Areas'

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has declared 1034 kanals of land at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg and 354 kanals in another popular tourist destination Sonmarg as “strategic areas” for the use of armed forces in the region.

In an order by the government’s tourism department dated December 31, 2021, the areas at these two North Kashmir locations were declared as “strategic” for operational and training requirements by the government following a request made by the Corps Commander.

The Corps Commander will look over strict adherence to the environment related laws to prevent any environmental hazard and ensure that no other law applicable in the union territory of J&K is breached, according to the order.

“Corp Commander shall ensure that the orders, if any, passed by an hon’ble court/tribunal in this regard, are strictly adhered to,” the order read.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole told NewsClick that the land was already under use by the army for years and there was no change or transfer of land being made.

"The land is already under use by the army for decades, even for more than 30 to 40 years now, for training and other relevant things. The army has already acquired land in these places and some is requisitioned land,” Pole said.

This is the first such order carried out by the UT government to declare any area as “strategic” for the armed forces after the Ministry of Home Affairs amended The Jammu and Kashmir Development Act, 1970, in October 2020 through an executive order under the J&K Reorganisation Act.

The Administrative Council gave its nod to the proposal of amending the Control of Building Operations Act 1988 and the J&K Development Act, 1970 to provide for special dispensation for carrying out construction activities in strategic areas, an official statement said.

The decision to notify an area strategic will allow armed forces to carry out construction work and build infrastructure in places, even at the ecologically fragile areas like Gulmarg and Sonmarg. The move was criticised by the regional political leadership who termed it as a means to disempower local residents who will have no role in policy decisions.

Since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A was carried out by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in New Delhi, people in Jammu and Kashmir area have become wary of dozens of new laws and sweeping changes made over the past two years that many, especially the local political leadership, believe are aimed to target the region’s political and economic footing.

Following the fresh order, the move has again invoked sharp criticism as former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti called it a move to increase militarisation in the restive region.

“Allocating thousands of kanals to armed forces, that too in tourist areas, confirms GOIs intention to convert J&K into a military garrison. Under the ‘state land’ pretext, our land is up for grabs & to add insult to injury locals are being evicted from their homes,” the PDP president tweeted.