JK Minister changes decision at news conference

Srinagar, Nov 23 (UNI) A news conference called by Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Minister Mohammad Dilawar Mir today to highlight important aspects of a Cabinet decision on leasing out land at Gulmarg ended with the order being put on hold after he was put on the defensive by a persistent media.

The reason for the sudden decision was a barrage of questions by journalists on a clause in the government order which gave authority to an Administrative Secretary for authenticating the grant of the land to non-state subjects.

As journalists bombarded the Minister with questions regarding the clause, he announced that the decision to auction the land at Gulmarg was being put on hold till the apprehensions regarding the order were cleared by the government.

At the outset of the news conference called by him to clear the air, Mr Mir highlighted important points of the government decision.

He said the state government had decided to lease out about 560 kanals (28 hectares) of land in the leopard valley of Dhobighat in Gulmarg to permanent residents of the state to raise the tourism- related infrastructure to attract a large number of visitors there.

''We don't want to keep Jammu and Kashmir a backward state. We want to generate more employment opportunities by improving infrastructure at all tourist resorts in the state,'' Mr Mir said.

However, during the question-answer session, the Minister suddenly announced that the order has been put on hold as the persistent media refused to give up on that particular clause.

Voices from various quarters had been raised in the recent past over leasing out the land in Gulmarg and other tourist resorts in Jammu and Kashmir to non-state subjects.

Breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani started a campaign against the order by holding public meetings across the state. He held a seminar here recently and has also called for a general strike on November 25 on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) in protest.

The Hizbul Mujahideen and other militant groups had expressed strong resentment over the decision, which was also opposed by some Congress leaders, including senior vice-president Abdul Ghani Vakil.

National Conference (NC) President Omar Abdullah termed the decision as a ''controversy hatched by New Delhi and executed'' by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The decision, a brainchild of former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baigh, had evoked massive protests and demonstrations in many parts of the Kashmir valley, particularly Gulmarg and Tangmarg.

The state Cabinet, on October 16, had decided to auction 560 kanals (28 hectares) of land through an Auction Committee for construction of hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related facilities at the virgin valley of Dhobighat in Gulmarg.

The bids were scheduled to start soon and the minimum reserved price had been fixed at Rs 15 lakh per kanal. A plot area ceiling had also been fixed at 16 kanals and not more than one plot would be allotted to a family. The Cabinet decision was given sanction by the state government on October 23.

UNI AG VD HT1922