Srinagar, Feb 09: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Wednesday said that 6000 transit accommodations at an estimated cost of Rs 920 crore will come up in Kashmir while the land has been restored to Kashmiri migrant applicants in the last five years.

The Ministry of Home Affairs was responding to the queries raised in the parliament including the number of properties that have been restored for the Kashmiri Pandits during the last five years and whether there is an agency that monitors and tracks the status of these properties and whether Government has taken ownership in the absence of the property holder.

Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Nityanand Rai responded to the queries in Rajya Sabha.

In a written reply to the parliament, the MoS  informed the parliament that as per the information provided by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, the land of 610 applicants (migrants) has been restored in the last five years.

“Under the J & K Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection & Restraint on Distress Sales) Act, 1997, District Magistrates (DMs) of concerned Districts in Jammu & Kashmir are the legal custodians of the immoveable properties of Migrants,” the union minister said.

The land of 610 applicants (migrants) has been restored in the last five years

He said that the DMs are further empowered to take all steps for the preservation and protection of such properties.

The Government has taken several measures to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Migrants back into the valley, he added.

Regarding the measures, the MoS said that “3000 State Government jobs created for the Kashmiri Migrants under the Prime Minister’s Development Package-2015 (PMDP-2015) at an outlay of Rs. 1080 crores.

“The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has appointed 1739 migrants and selected additional 1098 migrants under PMDP-2015,” the MoS said. “Construction of 6000 Transit Accommodation in Kashmir Valley at an estimated cost of Rs. 920 crore in order to provide accommodation to employed Kashmiri Migrants.”

The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has launched a portal on 07.09.2021 to address the grievances of Kashmiri Migrants related to Immovable properties and community assets, the MoS informed.

He further informed that an amount of Rs. 753.89 crores has been released during the last five years in this regard.