HC raps J&K for delay in recovery of leased property in Gulmarg

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 13

Taking serious note of the non-submisssion of the status report by the state on its stand on the recovery of property in Gulmarg whose leases or licences have expired, the J&K High Court has now sought the details of the action taken by the authorities in the matter.

The High Court also expressed its displeasure over the lackadaisical approach adopted by the authorities for the recovery of such property in Gulmarg, observing that exchequer money worth crores of rupees was involved.

These orders and observations were passed on Wednesday by a division bench of the High Court, which is hearing a PIL on the protection and preservation of the Gulmarg resort.

“As the state authorities failed to file a status report on the recovery of property whose leases or licences have expired in Gulmarg, the High Court on Wednesday directed them to furnish the details of the action taken in the matter,” a lawyer.

However, the state authorities on Wednesday submitted the first phase of the Gulmarg Master Plan to the High Court, which the bench directed to be uploaded on the official website of the Gulmarg Development Authority. The court also directed the authorities concerned to file the status report with regard to the second phase of the master plan on the next date of hearing.

In October last year, the J&K High Court had directed the state government to file a status report within eight weeks, indicating its stand on the recovery of property in Gulmarg whose leases or licenses had expired.

As per SRO 580, the maximum time for which a lease could be granted was 40 years and no extension beyond that period was permissible. However, most of the leases granted to people in Gulmarg had already expired.

During the proceedings on October 16 last year, the Advocate General had informed the bench that that the “first phase of the exercise (recovery of property) would be taken up by October-end and the second phase would be taken up by June 2019”. However, a counsel appearing for the state on Wednesday informed the bench that the matter for the renewal of leases or licenses was already before the committee concerned but it had not been able to meet.