Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 4: Kashmir Women’s Collective, a non-Governmental organization, today held protests against the Government’s decision to revoke the zero stamp duty on purchase of property, including land, by women of the State.
Scores of women gathered at a public park here and demanded the rollback of SRO 219 wherein the Government has revoked the zero stamp duty on purchase of property by women of the state. Last year, the Government had exempted women from stamp duty on the purchase of property including land.
The protesting women said that the new SRO 219 that has put stamp duty at 3% for women would lead to their disempowerment. They said women are “disadvantaged and marginalised group” and policies focusing on women’s empowerment must be enacted and hailed. Meanwhile, they appealed Governor, Satya Pal Malik to reconsider the decision
Speaking at the occasion, Mantasha, a member of the women’s collective said only 23% of women in the State own land and 33% owned a house and 70-80% property is still owned in the names of men even when the property is bought by disposing of women’s gold and other assets in middle-class families. “Many women are thrown out of their homes even in old age as they have no claim on the houses which they nurture throughout their lives,” she said.
Shehryar Khanum, another member of KWC said women are socially motivated to give up their parental share to their male siblings as a way to preserve their relationship with the parental home, which minimizes their chances of owning a property. “As result women do not own any property in most cases making them vulnerable and economically weak,” she said.
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