By Farooq Wani
As long as Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was operational, a number of laws passed by the center and programmes launched to empower the masses, facilitate upliftment of the marginalised sections of society and promote social, economic and political equality were not applicable in J&K. So, abrogation of this discriminatory Article came as a boon for the people of J&K and the last three years have seen the emergence of a new era of progress and development.
An infrastructural development or welfare-oriented scheme can only endure if it is self-sustaining, and so, administrators have to identify suitable sources to generate funds through public taxation. In October 2020, the central government amended various laws under the J&K Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) order, 2020, including the J&K Municipal Act, 2000, and the J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000.
Property Tax
Property tax (payable to local bodies) is one such levy that came in the ambit of changed law a tax. As no income is being accrued by local bodies from water and power usage in J&K, levying a sliding-scale nominal tax on property is a reasonable proposition. Unfortunately, introduction of property tax has created public hue and cry, and finding it a good issue to score brownie points, politicians have jumped into the fray.
Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha’s take on this matter is compelling. Maintaining that “To take care of people’s rights is the administration’s responsibility,” he adds, “but if well-off people won’t pay for services… I think we all need to discuss this, how to move ahead. We need to find a way.” Explaining that since property tax is going to help GDP growth, it’s a pro people act that must be hailed and appreciated as it will prove beneficial to all.
Anti-Encroachment Drive
Rampant encroachment is another area of serious concern in J&K and so, the anti-encroachment drive announced by the J&K Union Territory administration to get the land vacated under the illegal occupation of the people is well intentioned and necessary for preventing environmental imbalance. With law enforcement agencies tied down in tackling militancy for over three decades, encroachers had a field day and not only took hold of real estate illegally but even built permanent assets on it.
Once again, while vested interests are projecting this drive as a cruel and inconsiderate act against the poor, the fact is that the main culprits are the rich and influential people. As such LG Sinha deserves due credit for ordering J&K administration to evict encroachers which has led to retrieval of nearly 25,000 acres of land.
Delimitation
A lot of disinformation is being spread by vested interests on the delimitation process However, the fact is that this exercise carried out by the delimitation commission has brought about the much-needed balance in the electoral constituencies of the UT. Some analysts opine that delimitation is correcting a wrong that had been perpetrated by devious means seven decades back and the artificial shackles created by repressive unconstitutional means are being replaced with more inclusive democratic norms.
Being devoid of any malafide intentions, the work of delimitation commission is both legitimate and justified. There is a high expectancy of the proposals of the commission being accepted by the people even as those with vested interests continue with the opposition.
Promoting Kashmir
In a significant development, J&K will be hosting the 2023 meeting of G20 in May , an influential grouping of the world’s major economies. This will be the first major international summit to be held here after the erstwhile State’s special status guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution was withdrawn and it was bifurcated into two Union Territories in August 2019.
The G20 event in J&K is of immense diplomatic significance for India as it’s an unambiguous message to the international community, especially Pakistan and China, that J&K is an integral part of India.
Thanks to the keen interest taken by PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to improve things in Kashmir, this paradise on earth is now seen as a safe place for both holidaying as well as doing business. Resultantly, both tourists and investors are making a beeline and during the period January 2022, till date, J&K has seen the footfall of a record 1.8 crore tourists. Since tourism provides the largest source of employment in J&K, locals are obviously upbeat.
Addressing Alienation
Propaganda from across the Line of Control as well as their Kashmir Valley based proxies coupled with divisive politics and loose statements by certain political entities and parties have unfortunately created a sense of alienation amongst the people of Kashmir. Reversing this negative perception is of paramount importance and as such it needs to be addressed holistically on top priority. If it is done, then the Union Territory will witness unprecedented peace and progress, while failure to end alienation would result in the loss of a golden opportunity that might not come again.
On their part, the people of J&K need to realise that what Kashmiris urgently need is constructive contribution and not opportunism. More than three decades of militancy has taught us the futility of violence as a means to achieve an objective. So, people of Kashmir need to guard against any attempt to revive the traumatised state prevailing in the past.
It’s time to unite and work for making a better and not a bloodier Kashmir!
The author is Editor of Brighter Kashmir, Author, TV commentator, political analyst and columnist. Email:farooqwani61@yahoo.co.in
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