Put property tax on hold till economic situation improves in J-K: Azad

The Jammu and Kashmir government should postpone the imposition of property tax for a few years till the economic situation in the union territory improves DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad said on ThursdayHe also said if his party is elected to power it will bring back the Roshni Act under which ownership rights were given to occupants of state landSpeaking to reporters in Anantnag district of south Kashmir Azad said the economic situation in JK over the last 35 years has become bad because of militancyOur unemployment inflation has increased manifold Our tourism handicraft horticulture has suffered a great deal and the people of JK including businessmen transporters shopkeepers have suffered losses There is no person from Lakhanpur to Tangdhar who has not suffered losses So in such a situation when we are taking land from them increasing electricity charges we are not in a position to pay property tax he saidThe former JK chief minister said in the last four years since Article 370 was abrogated and JK changed to a UT in 2019 and also due to the Covid outbreak the backs of people have been brokenAlso Read Jammu lawyers announce oneday work suspension against imposition of property tax in JampKRation supply has been deceased from 35 kgs to five kgs So the people have not got any respite They do not have any income so how will they pay tax Our people do not have any problem in paying tax but first there should be income We know tax will benefit us but people should have that power to pay tax first that money first Right now they do not have money to sustain themselves where from will they pay tax So I will appeal the government to hold it for fourfive years till our economic situation gets better he saidLet our tourism run smoothly for fivesix years our horticulture produce go to the market our handicraft be exported then perhaps we will be in a position to pay tax Azad addedHe said the government should have sympathy with the people and not form policies while sitting in offices but by having discussions with the peopleThe Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday issued a notification for imposition of property tax in the union territory which will come into effect from the next financial yearOn the antiencroachment drive to retrieve state land Azad said the drive should be stopped He also asserted that his government will reimplement the Roshni SchemeIt antiencroachment drive should be stopped If I form the government then we will implement the Roshni scheme once again he saidThe Roshni Act officially known as Jammu and Kashmir State Land Vesting of Ownership to Occupants Act 2001 was enacted during the regime of the then CM Farooq Abdullah The law granted ownership of encroached land to encroachers to raise funds for different power projects of the governmentHowever the law was implemented with few modifications in the tenure of Azad as chief minister from 20052008In 2014 the Comptroller and Auditor Generals CAG report pointed out that many political persons from different parties had been benefited under the ActIn November 2018 then governor Satya Pal Malik repealed the Act On October 9 2020 the High Court of JK and Ladakh declared the Act illegal unconstitutional and unsustainable and ordered a CBI probeLater the government decided to retrieve such landAsked about Congress president Malikarjun Kharges comment that the Congress will lead a coalition government in 2024 Azad said Let us see it when 2024 comesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever