Avinash Azad
MLA Tanvir Sadiq has slammed the J&K government over an allegedly skewed apportionment of the erstwhile state’s assets following its 2019 bifurcation into two Union Territories, spotlighting a raw deal for Jammu and Kashmir.
In Tuesday’s assembly session, Sadiq questioned whether J&K suffered an unfair allocation, particularly with key properties like the Jammu and Kashmir House in New Delhi handed over to Ladakh UT, leaving J&K visitors grappling with accommodation woes.
The government, in response, denied any inequity, claiming the division adhered to recommendations from an Advisory Committee under the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, and a subsequent panel formed via Order No. 1011-GAD.
However, it admitted that the major portion of the Chanakyapuri guest house was ceded to Ladakh, severely limiting J&K’s access. To mitigate this, the government has acquired a 3,179.58 sqm plot in Dwarka from the Delhi Development Authority for a new J&K Bhawan and is exploring additional space at 5 Prithviraj Road. Yet, no timeline for construction was provided, raising doubts about swift relief.
Sadiq further pressed on illegally occupied J&K properties in Delhi. The government revealed that Kashmir House at Rajaji Marg, spanning one kanal and 11.2 marlas, was recently reclaimed from unauthorized occupants under the Public Premises Act, 1971, and is now with the Resident Commissioner.
Critics, however, argue this does little to offset the broader loss of prime assets. The MLA’s pointed queries underscore simmering discontent over the post-bifurcation asset split, with J&K seemingly stripped of strategic holdings in the national capital. The government’s assurances of new infrastructure ring hollow amid vague timelines, leaving J&K’s residents and dignitaries inconvenienced—a stark reminder of the lingering fallout from 2019’s seismic administrative overhaul.
