SRINAGAR: PDP leader Waheed Parra on Friday accused the National Conference and the BJP of obstructing a proposed land bill aimed at securing housing rights for Jammu and Kashmir’s poorest families.
Parra said the draft legislation — The Regularisation and Recognition of Property Rights Bill — sought to grant ownership to people who have lived on State, Kahcharai, Common and Shamilat land for more than two decades, asserting that such residents are not encroachers but citizens entitled to a constitutional right to shelter under Article 21.
He said the bill offered a one-time compassionate solution to prevent demolitions and displacement, while enabling affected families to access registration, documentation, bank loans and legal recognition for long-standing homes.
“No family should be penalised for building a shelter when the state failed in its duty,” Parra said, calling the bill an attempt to address decades of injustice faced by landless and homeless communities.
He alleged that NC, under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, dismissed these families as “land grabbers,” while the BJP described the proposed legislation as “land jihad.”
