HC seeks status of recovery of leased land at Gulmarg within 8 weeks
Srinagar, Oct 17: The J&K High Court on Tuesday granted eight weeks time to government to file status report about the recovery of leased state land in the ski resort of Gulmarg.
A division bench hearing a public interest petition seeking an end to vandalisation of the famed ski resort directed the government to file the status report on the recovery of the government-owned leased properties, mostly in the form of land, within eight weeks.
The court was informed by the government attorneys that the first phase of recovery of the land for which leases have expired would be started by the end of this October, and that the next phase to vacate the illegal occupiers shall be initiated in June 2019.
The court was also informed that a meeting of officers of the government was scheduled on Tuesday to discuss the renewal of expired lease agreements also.
The court had earlier asked the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) to provide details of the persons as are continuing with occupation of the state land in the Gulmarg despite expiry of their lease contracts.
The GDA had been directed to provide the particulars and details of land by indicating exact boundaries which has been leased out to private persons in the famed tourist resort of north Kashmir.
It also asked GDA to give the period of the leases as well as details of persons who are occupying land in excess of the area which was leased out to them.
“These details be filed after physical inspection of the land,” the court added.
The High Court has time and again underlined that it was a duty of all the functionaries of the State entrusted with the assignment of maintaining the glory and beauty of the well-known resort to maintain its standard in all its forms.
The court has passed directions that any sort of construction, encroachment or any other activity of which a note has been taken earlier by the judiciary is to be reported to it without waiting for any specific direction.
Rashid Paul is Associate Editor at Kashmir Images.
He can be reached at [email protected]
