Srinagar, Sep 4: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has retrieved more than 500 kanals of land belonging to Kashmiri migrants between January and July this year, with the properties either secured under “superdari” or restored to their original owners, officials said.
A total of 522 kanals and 15.9 marlas of migrant land was retrieved during the seven-month period, according to data reviewed at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Thursday.
The meeting reviewed the disposal of grievances filed by Kashmiri migrant property holders across all 10 districts of the Kashmir division under the Jammu and Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection and Restraint on Distress Sales) Act, 1997.
Bandipora recorded the highest recovery, with 146 kanals and seven marlas of land retrieved, followed by Baramulla with 82 kanals and 10 marlas, Kulgam with 80 kanals and 0.5 marlas, Ganderbal with 53 kanals and Srinagar with 50 kanals and 16.9 marlas.
The administration said the Online Migrant Grievance Portal (RRCM) has so far registered 12,223 complaints relating to alleged violations of migrant property rights.
These include 5,341 complaints of encroachment, 2,874 cases of trespassing and 442 cases involving alleged tampering with property records.
Of the total complaints, 10,038 have been closed by District Magistrates, while 7,605 have received final approval through the RRCM mechanism, officials said.
Dulloo directed the Divisional and District Administrations to ensure that complaints are examined thoroughly and disposed of within a fixed timeframe, particularly those pending for long periods.
He said every case should be decided strictly on its merits and in a manner that provides a satisfactory resolution to the concerned property owners.
The Chief Secretary also called for greater use of technology to protect and manage migrant properties and directed districts that have not completed the exercise to expedite geo-tagged inventories.
Officials said the digital inventories would create a comprehensive database of migrant properties and help authorities monitor, protect and manage the assets more effectively.
A presentation by the Relief Commissioner (Migrant) also outlined measures taken to strengthen the administrative and technological framework for protecting migrant properties and addressing related grievances.
The administration has meanwhile introduced an independent telephone-based verification mechanism through the office of the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to check whether cases marked as disposed of were actually resolved satisfactorily.
During the verification exercise, officials successfully contacted 4,918 applicants, of whom 4,605 said they were satisfied with the disposal of their cases. The remaining complaints have been referred for further scrutiny and remedial action.
The administration has also expanded direct engagement with migrant property holders through grassroots outreach camps, officials said.
