SRINAGAR: Protection for the identity, language and land of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is on the cards, on the lines of that enjoyed by indigenous people in other states. Parliamentary approval will be sought for making the relevant legal changes Times of India reported.
According to sources, what happened on August 5, 2019 with regard to abrogation of Article 370 in J&K has not been unrolled in full. Like a government functionary explained, if something has been removed (special status for J&K), something else has to come in place in terms of protection of the local population.
The official indicated that these protections are in the pipeline in the Union territory of J&K – meant to preserve the unique identity, language and land of its people.
“You don’t need Article 370 and such frameworks to protect your identity etc. You have seen the J&K domicile rules, so jobs are there for the locals. The rules have been challenged in J&K High Court on the ground that they violate the Indian Constitution. This is being treated by the J&K administration as a test case and a win for the government will establish domicile as a principle across the country for government jobs,” said an officer.
Sources said there are protections coming for land too in J&K. This is essentially due to worries that outsiders will extensively buy out land from the locals.
“Such protections are highly expected and will reassure the people of J&K that their land will not be taken over by outsiders. This will also set fears of a likely demographic change in Kashmir, to rest,” said a government functionary.
Incidentally, even the 6,000 acres of land in J&K identified for industries to set up shop in the UT, is all government land.
Around one-and-a-half dozen states have special laws to restrict sale and transfer of land from ‘domicile’ residents to non-locals, or even from tribals to non-tribals. The J&K system could be modelled on that followed in states like Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand, which place curbs on non-locals buying agricultural land or put a ceiling on the land holding that can be owned by an “outsider”.
A source said protection to local languages including Dogri is under consideration. (TOI)
