CM Omar Abdullah rejects Waheed Para’s Land Regularisation Bill

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 28 (STC): The Land Regularisation Bill seeking recognition of proprietary rights over state and Kacharai lands has been rejected by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying the government cannot legalize illegal occupation of state property.
The Chief Minister while speaking in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today, asked Para to withdraw the Bill, stating that such a move would go against existing laws and land regulations.
“We cannot legalize illegal occupation of state land,” the Chief Minister said.
Chief Minister reiterated that the issue of land rights needs to be dealt with through lawful means and that the government would not take any step that could encourage encroachment on state property.
However, PDP legislator Waheed ur Rehman Para refused to withdraw the Bill, saying the government was rejecting it for political reasons. “You are rejecting it for your own policies. BJP calls it land jihad, don’t be afraid of them,” Para told the House.
Para argued that the Bill aimed to provide relief to people who have been living or cultivating on such lands for decades, while the government maintained that legal procedures could not be bypassed.
(Straight Talk Communications)