J&K govt clueless of Sri Lankan cricketer being given land in Kathua

Strange as it may sound but the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir has no clue about the Sri Lankan cricketer who is being given 10.4 hectares in Kathua district to set up an aluminium can manufacturing and beverages filling unit with an investment of ₹1,600 crore.

Javid Ahmed Dar, the UT rural development and panchayati raj minister, found himself in a tight spot during question hour in the assembly in Jammu on Saturday.

Responding to queries on land compensation and satellite townships being developed across Jammu and Kashmir, Dar feigned ignorance about the land being given to the Sri Lankan cricketer.

The issue was raised by Kulgam MLA MY Tarigami when he sought information on satellite townships. “What are these townships about? Who will be residing there? A Sri Lankan cricketer has been allotted land without being charged a paisa.”

Tarigami sought to know the name of the cricketer.

Congress MLA Ghulam Ahmed Mir also joined Tarigami and described it as a serious issue that needs discussion.

AAP MLA Mehraj Malik said, “It’s ironical that land from the natives of Jammu and Kashmir is being snatched. Today, we have an elected government. It is time to expose people who brought outsiders and given them land here.”

Independent MLA Choudhary Akram, BJP MLAs Shakti Raj Parihar and Balwant Singh Mankotia raised the issue of delay in compensation to people whose land was acquired for road projects.

Cornered, Dar said, “We will look into the issue (of land being given to the Lankan cricketer).”