Srinagar, Aug 24: Two outsiders from Delhi and Punjab have bought land in Jammu district after the BJP government abrogated Article 370 and scrapped permanent residence laws.

However, no outsider has purchased any land or house in Kashmir valley.

As per official documents Neelam Gupta and Prashant Gupta of New Delhi have bought one kanal land in Channi, Himmat in Jammu, while a Punjab resident, Bindu Verma and Veena Saraf have bought one kanal land in Channi Biji in Jammu district. The land had been registered in their names in January this year.

The owners who have sold the land to the two outside residents are Ritesh Bhagotra of Jammu and Amit Khajuria of Katra.

As per documents these two outsiders are the only non-residents who have applied for purchasing properties in Jammu and Kashmir since abrogation of Article 370.

Recently, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in a written reply said that two outsiders have bought land in Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370 abrogation.

Before August 5, 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir assembly was constitutionally empowered to define a resident of the erstwhile state. These defined residents were alone eligible to apply for jobs or own immovable property.

However, the home ministry amended a 2010 legislation — the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment Act) — last year by substituting the term “permanent residents” with “domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir”. kdc