Navneet Dubey
Jammu: In a lighter vein, Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo on Thursday asked BJP MLAs to help us in restoration of statehood then government will disband Change of Land Use (CLU) application and will also address issue of Gair MumkinKhad.
These remarks by the Minister brought laughter from many members presented in the Assembly today. Her statement came after MLA Sham Lal Sharma, MLA Vikram Randhawa and MLA Surinder Kumar trio from BJP raised concern over problems being faced by people in applying for CLU to construct houses or commercial buildings.
Surinder Kumar in question has pointed out that inhabitants residing in rural areas face significant difficulties when applying for CLU to construct houses or commercial buildings and demanded establishing a single window system for issuance of permission on spot.
Senior BJP member Sham Lal Sharma said CLU application was introduced in 2022 and urged CM to immediately revisit the order and we should fix the responsibility for this. He said the issue is co-related as JDA has expanded its area without making any development.
He demanded disbanding CLU application and revisiting Jammu Master Plan And also demanded early implementation of four months back Gair Mumkin Khad’ order.
MLA Vikram Randhawa also raised the long-pending issue of ‘Gair Mumkin Khad’, highlighting the difficulties faced by thousands of residents due to the classification of their land under this category.
Randhawa emphasized that the issue has left many property owners in distress, as they are unable to construct homes or sell their land. He pointed out that the classification of ordinary land as ‘Gair Mumkin Khad’ was done arbitrarily, questioning the criteria used by revenue officials.
“This is a major concern for the people of Jammu, Samba, and Kathua. Many homes and offices, including institutions like AIIMS and RSS headquarters, have been constructed in areas classified as ‘Khad.’ However, ordinary citizens who own small plots—whether five marlas, seven marlas, or one kanal—are unable to use their land. This unfair label must be removed,” Randhawa stated.
Senior National Conference leader and minister Sakina Itoo has reiterated her party’s commitment to the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to The News Now outside LA complex , she emphasized that the people of J&K strongly desire the return of special status, which was revoked in August 2019. Itoo confirmed that the Assembly had already passed a resolution demanding the restoration of special status and that the matter had been forwarded to the Government of India for consideration. “It is now up to the central government to take a decision on how soon they can act on this demand,” she stated.
She also highlighted the importance of statehood, stressing that the resolution to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood had already been passed with a two-thirds majority in the Assembly. “Statehood is not something new that we are asking for; it is essential for better governance and for resolving people’s grievances more effectively,” she added.
