Revenue declares land suitable, Forest Deptt objects
*Cabinet intervention imperative to break impasse
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 29: An exercise initiated by the Industries and Commerce Department for establishment of a major Industrial Estate in Jammu district has remained stalled during the past two years after the Revenue and Forest Departments took completely contradictory positions over the ownership and legal status of the land identified for the project, exposing poor inter-departmental coordination and serious flaws in the Government’s land verification mechanism.
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Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in the year 2024 the Directorate of Industries and Commerce Jammu sought transfer of around 5000 kanals of land at village Panjgrain in Nagrota tehsil for establishment of an Industrial Estate.
Acting on the request, the Revenue authorities of Jammu district reportedly identified multiple Khasra numbers and thereafter the Directorate of Industries and Commerce vide communication dated May 24, 2024 requested the Revenue authorities to expedite the process for transfer of land in favour of Industries and Commerce Department under Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and deliver possession at the earliest.
It was also certified by the Directorate that no acquisition proceeding for the land is being pursued with any other Collectorate; the land has not been acquired earlier under the provisions of the State Land Acquisition Act and that the land was found feasible for establishment of Industrial Estate.
As the huge chunk of land was involved, the matter was placed before the Revenue Department, Civil Secretariat, which projected the land as ‘waste land’ suitable for public purpose and feasible for establishment of an Industrial Estate.
However, the entire exercise came to a standstill after the Forest Department objected to the proposal, claiming that the same parcel of land falls under forest jurisdiction and cannot be diverted without approval of the Supreme Court-monitored committee dealing with forest land diversion matters.
“Any diversion for non-forest activity would require mandatory clearances under forest conservation laws and scrutiny under mechanisms operating under the directions of the Supreme Court”, sources said quoting the stand of the Forest Department.
They said, “the conflicting claims by two Government departments over the same piece of land have triggered serious questions over the credibility of official land records”.
The deadlock has reportedly delayed the proposed Industrial Estate even as the Government continues to aggressively market Jammu and Kashmir as an investment destination by promising land banks and speedy approvals to investors.
“The matter can be resolved politically through intervention of the Council of Ministers. The Government can approve delineation or de-notification of the land in favour of the Industries Department on the lines of decisions earlier taken in connection with Balol and Bhagthali Industrial Estates”, sources said.
However, instead of taking the issue seriously the Government has preferred to maintain silence and keep the matter buried in the official files, sources remarked, adding “the controversy has brought renewed focus on allegations that industrial expansion projects in Jammu and Kashmir are often pushed without proper coordination between departments dealing with revenue records, forests and land clearances”.
“With no official clarification yet issued by either department over the contradictory claims, the fate of the proposed Industrial Estate now appears to depend more on political intervention than administrative clarity”, sources said.
Notably, most of the major industrial infrastructure in Jammu region continues to remain concentrated in Samba and Kathua districts, which over the years have emerged as the principal industrial hubs due to availability of land and better connectivity.
Jammu district, despite being the winter capital and a major commercial centre, has largely lagged behind in development of large-scale Industrial Estates, forcing investors and entrepreneurs to look towards existing saturated industrial zones in neighbouring districts.
Had the proposal for establishment of the new Industrial Estate been cleared in time, it could have marked a significant step towards balanced industrial expansion in Jammu district by attracting fresh investment, generating large-scale employment opportunities and reducing pressure on existing industrial areas.
The project was also expected to boost ancillary businesses, improve infrastructure and create new avenues of economic activity. However, the prolonged deadlock between the Revenue and Forest Departments has kept the proposal trapped in uncertainty, delaying potential economic benefits for the district.
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