Uri, May 20 (KNO): Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary on Wednesday termed the demolition of houses belonging to tribal families in Sidra area of Jammu as “unfortunate” and said such actions should not have taken place.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, Choudhary, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the issue was not linked to any religion or community, but concerned humanity and the right of poor people to shelter.
He said people construct their homes after facing immense hardships and questioned why the authorities failed to act when the structures were allegedly being raised if the land belonged to the forest department.
“If the construction was illegal on forest land, it could not have come up overnight. Where were the concerned departments at that time?” he asked, while strongly condemning the demolition drive.
Choudhary said the elected government in the Union Territory has limited powers and many officers, including IAS, IPS and police officials, do not fall under the direct control of the National Conference-led government.
“Neither can we transfer them nor post or promote them,” he said, adding that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken serious note of the matter.
The Deputy CM appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene and ensure justice to the affected families.
“We hope the Prime Minister and Home Minister will look into the issue and ensure the demolished houses are rebuilt, and the affected people are compensated so they can live their lives with dignity,” he said.
He further claimed that they were informed the land in question was government land and not forest land. He said proper notices should have been served before any action was taken.
"During the National Conference government in the erstwhile state, houses were not demolished, and instead colonies were regularised," Choudhary said. “Give me a single example of demolitions during NC rule. We worked to regularise colonies, not destroy homes."
The Deputy CM urged the media to make people aware of the “limited powers” of the elected government in the Union Territory and reiterated that the NC government stands with the people.
“We want houses to be built, not demolished. People should get shelter and not feel devastated,” he added.
On the issue of bunker construction in border villages along the Line of Control, Choudhary said he understands the hardships faced by residents living in frontier areas and expressed hope that the Union Home Ministry would approve the recommendations sent by the Jammu and Kashmir government for the construction of bunkers.
The Deputy CM was visiting Uri to review ongoing developmental works, public welfare initiatives and infrastructure projects. He is also scheduled to visit Handwara on Thursday—(KNO)