Not happy with adoption of JK industrial land policy: NC

Srinagar: The National Conference Saturday expressed dismay over the adoption of Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Land Allotment Policy, 2021-30, saying such measures, which have long-term implications, should have been left to be decided by a popular state government.
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday approved adoption of the J&K Industrial Land Allotment Policy 2021-30.
"A coterie of bureaucrats cannot replace a vital and vibrant legislature, where pros and cons of such policy decisions are deliberated upon by people's representatives taking into account its impact on environment, housing and agriculture land usage," NC's Anantnag MP Hassnain Masoodi said in a statement.
Masoodi said such a process, in a democratic set up, is initiated by taking counsel from the people associated with small and large scale industries.
"Thereafter, the bill is discussed in the cabinet and then tabled in the legislature for further discussions. In this case, the entire process has been skipped. Having a coterie of bureaucrats decide on vital issues of a culturally, and topographically diverse region like that of ours is in itself an irony," he added.
The MP also said the industrial development scheme was meaningless in the absence of peace initiative.
"The recently announced Rs 28,400-crore industrial scheme will not fetch any results in the absence of an aggressive peace initiative to address the political aspirations of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh," he said.
Masoodi said previous such announcements have not changed anything on the ground.
He said if the official statistics of 2020 were any indicator, hundreds of lives have been lost in about a hundred encounters.
"The Government does not, even one-and-a-half-years after assault on the special status of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, muster courage to restore the internet at the speed available in other parts of the country exposing millions of students and businessmen to immense loss and inconvenience.
"The preventive detention law, an anathema to the Constitution, continues to be invoked with impunity and young and old detained hundreds of miles away from their homes," he added.
The Administrative Council (AC), which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Friday approved the adoption of the industrial land allotment policy, 2021-30.
The new policy attempts to address various land-related issues impeding industrial development in J&K by laying down a framework to regulate zoning of industrial areas, project appraisal and evaluation and the subsequent process flow, a government spokesman had said.
The new policy proposes zoning of industrial areas at block and municipality level after taking into consideration various factors, including the existing level of industrial development, location of the proposed zone, and level of urbanisation.
The Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Land Allotment Policy, 2021-30 will also cover land allotment for health institutions, medi-cities, educational institutions and edu-cities.
The spokesman said the policy provides for constitution of divisional level project appraisal and evaluation committees to scrutinise applications received for allotment of industrial land within 30 days.