Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 18: Revenue Department has worked out the modalities to provide benefit of Roshni Scheme to the left-out occupants of the State land and after vetting of draft notification from the Law Department within next one week the same will be placed before the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah for approval to amend Rules of the much-hyped scheme.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in order to provide benefit of the Roshni Scheme to those who could not avail the same due to lack of awareness or other reasons and those who applied for regularization of State land under their occupation but failed to deposit fee within stipulated time, the Revenue Department approached the Law Department with proposed amendment in some Rules of the scheme early this year.
The Law Minister, Mir Saifullah, while advocating extension in time limit for filing of applications and deposit of fee for the left-out occupants of the State land, asked the Revenue Department to come up with revised rules to address grievances of all stakeholders under the law. The Revenue Department was also asked by the Law Department to even furnish clarification sought by the Accountant General vis-a-vis the amount generated by the scheme.
“Now, the Revenue Department has furnished the required clarification to the Accountant General and also worked out the modalities to provide benefit of Roshni Scheme to left out occupants of the State land”, sources said, adding “the draft notification would get vetted from the Law Department within next one week and then placed before the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah for approval”.
In response to a question, sources said, “the Revenue Department has sought amendment in the relevant Rule of Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of ownership to the occupants) Rules, 2007 in order to extend the time-limit for filing of applications and deposit of fee by six months”, adding “in case of those applicants who have failed to deposit the fee despite clearance of their cases by the Screening Committees, penalty would also be imposed”.
Moreover, for the fresh applicants new rates would be fixed for regularization of State land under their occupation, sources disclosed.
Responding to another question, sources said, “in case of general rules only Law Department has to be taken into confidence for vetting the amended rule and approval of the Chief Minister is required but if the need arises the amendment in the relevant rules of the Roshni Scheme would be taken in the Cabinet”.
Sources said that around 1.66 lakh applications have been cleared by the Revenue Department vesting ownership rights on 6.05 lakh kanal of land against the approved cost of Rs 316 crore. However, the returns have been just Rs 76 crore under the much-hyped scheme so far-over Rs 53 crore in Kashmir and Rs 22 crore in Jammu.
“In large number of cases approved by the official committees, the occupants are yet to deposit the cost of land or they have not cleared the full balance,” they added.
Conceived to fetch Rs 25,000 crore by selling State land at market prices to occupants, the Roshni Scheme grew scandalous since its inception with revenue raised under the program standing at only a fraction of the target. It was proposed that the equity would be invested in power generation sector for shaping fortunes of the State.
As per the rules, the occupants owning residential structures on State or Nazool land up to 2 kanal were required to pay only 25 percent of the value of the land determined by the departmental committee and 40 percent up to 10 kanals. For authorized overstayed and unauthorized occupants, the rates were fixed at 35 percent and 50 percent of the value of the land.
In commercial category, authorized, authorized overstayed and unauthorized occupants had to pay 30 percent, 45 percent and 60 percent of the value of the land respectively.
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