Srinagar, Nov 21: Days after Vice Chancellor Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST- K) Dr Nazir Ganai made remarks that Srinagar was “the most unorganised city with no land use policy”, Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC) has reitereated that time and again it has taken up this issue with the Jammu and Kashmir government.
In a statement, retired IAS officer and Chairman, Group of Concerned Citizens, Khurshid Ahmed Ganai said heed should be paid to advice of VC SKUAST. “Regulate conversion of agriculture land to conserve it. Otherwise whole of the Valley will become a concrete jungle in the next ten years with no land left for agriculture. High prices of land was encouraging owners to sell their agriculture land for construction of residential houses and shops in the most uneconomical and unplanned manner. VC SKUAST has rightly referred to Srinagar as the most unorganised city notwithstanding the master plan which is there to be violated,” said Ganai.
He said GCC had already flagged this issue of unregulated conversion of agriculture land last year in November with the Chief Secretary in a meeting with him. Ganai added that this issue was also taken up with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a meeting with him in June this year. Notably, last week Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir, Dr Nazir Ganai said that Srinagar was the most unorganised city in the country with no land use policy in place. The Vice Chancellor said this while responding to a query on the agricultural land getting squeezed due to the boom of constructions.
