By Beigh Irshad.:Sonamarg, Jan 21 :Residents, traders and land owners here staged a protest against fencing of their lands by the Indian Army.
Hundreds of local villagers, bussiness men and other land owners staged sit in protest outside Army camp in sonamarg a famous tourist resort here in central kashmirs Ganderbal District. The protestors said that Army encroached upon their more than 100 kanals of land at Sonamarg.
“As people migrate to other villages due to severe cold, and harsh winter here in Sonamarg the Indian Army occupies the land and claims that they have taken it on lease from years a protester Ishfaq Ahmad kapra a land owner told.
This year also the same was repeated as they have no rules and regulations,” he added.
“We are afraid that in coming years, the Army might occupy our properties like houses and restaurants as the forces are expanding land occupation every year “another protestor Aadil Ahmad said.
Last year also, Army fenced the 100 kanal truck-yard area,” he added.
Showing court papers and other land documents owner of Maqbool camping agency Mohd Maqbool kapra said “my signg boards of the Agency were damaged and they Army is tryng to vacate us from our own land and they want to make bankers here”.
“I will either kill myself or my own family if they did anything to my land
he threatened.
A group of local vllagers of sonamarg headed with local head mens, panch and surpanc said “our form lands and pasture lands are being fenced by concrete wires from years and our local adminstration is either sleeping or getting share”. Pointing towards a Dhaba aside of army camp the owner Qayoum said “see how they fenced it with a this wire and few days back I was the owner and was freely roaming around but today I was shocked to see a board infront of my Dhaba written Army Land and a banker on the gate of my dhaba.
The land owners threatened that if the Army continued ‘illegal possession of the land’ and will not take down the fencing, they will launch massive agitation on state level and will hindrence to Amarnath yatra.
Villager also blamed Indian government of playng foul with kashmirs, “it looks different when the GOI is tryng to settle the rafugees of Pakistan here in Kashmir but what about we people who are the part and partial of state the crown of India” a villager of sonamarg said.
Local bodies and other trade unions have appealed Governor of State NN Vohra to interfere and help them.
Tehsildar Gund, Dr Shoaib Wani and a police team of police station Sonamarg were also present there when the protest was going on.
Revenue sources confirmed about the enchroachment and said some Khasra numbers 484. 485, 481, 341, 317, 318, 321, 322, 324, 349, 477, 475, and confirmed over 100 kanals of land.
When contaced SDM Kangan, Ghulam Ahmad Mir he told that he visited the place with revenue team and told the Army officers to remove the fencing around the land.
“Law will take its own course and nobody will be allowed to violate the norms,” he said.
Meanwhile despite several attempts no official from Sonamarg Development Authority and Indian Army was available for comments.