J-K govt to evict KPs from flats

Even as the state government promises migrant pandits safe shelter if they return to the Valley, the Estates Department has ordered that pan...

Even as the state government promises migrant pandits safe shelter if they return to the Valley, the Estates Department has ordered that pandits be evicted from government accomodation provided to them 15 years ago.

The state administration had provided the pandits who did not migrate to Jammu or Delhi accommodation in Budshah flats. ‘‘Their allotment was cancelled from the last three years,’’ says Farooq Ahmad Lone, Deputy Director, Estates Department. ‘‘We issued notices to them and only two of them responded. They were allowed to stay and in fact, are putting

up there. But the third one didn’t respond to our notice and was thus evicted. We had reports that he was not putting up in the flats.’’

In 1990, when militancy erupted in the Valley, most pandits migrated to Jammu and Delhi. Those who stayed back were moved to Metro hotel and then to the government-owned Budshah flats for security reasons. Now, the Estates Department under order no. esttAlot/NMS/123/2004 dated 27-12-2004 calls it unauthorised occupation and has asked the occupants to vacate the flats.

‘‘In my absence, the lock of my flat was broken and all household items were thrown out,’’ says R.L. Chowdhary, who lived in one of the flats. ‘‘I had gone to Amritsar for a business trip and a friend told me on the phone that my house has been ransacked.’’

Bashaarat Masood

Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More