Allotment of industrial land for militarization

The leasing out of 60 Kanalas of government owned horticulture land to CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) for military purposes shows that the incumbent governor’s administration like successive popular governments has preferred militarization over expansion and development of prized apple industry in Kashmir valley . Though even naives in Kashmir know that expansion and development of conventional fruit industry could open new avenues of employment for jobless youth in Jammu & Kashmir state but successive governments instead of exploring new avenues of employment in the agriculture and horticulture sectors are misusing the agriculture and horticulture land for non productive purposes. The silence of the horticulture department on leasing out of sixty kanals of government owned horticulture land to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) within the municipal limits of Srinagar city shows that the department had no plan for using the prized horticulture land for productive purposes as otherwise the department would have resisted all pressures from all quarters to convey its unwillingness to spare this vast area of horticulture land for no productive purposes to the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF). The leasing out of the prized horticulture land to CRPF disputes the claims of the governor’s administration on the expansion and development of the prized apple industry in the state. Though very rightly the Kashmir Chamber of Industry & Commerce (KCC&I) has raised its concern over the issue and dropped hints of challenging the government decision on leasing out this prized horticulture land to CRPF in Jammu & Kashmir High Court if need arises but unfortunately the industrial forums like mainstream political parties talk much about the protection of horticulture and agriculture land and virtually do nothing to restrict the governmental and non governmental forces from using the agriculture and horticulture land randomly for non productive purposes in the state.
Unfortunately the mainstream political parties are restricting their protest to newspaper statements instead of using other overt and covert means to persuade the government to withdraw its decision on leasing out the prized horticulture land to CRPF. Knowing that government won’t obviously withdraw its decision on leasing out 60 kanals of horticulture land at Zakura Srinagar to CRPF , the sensitivity of the issue demands that Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry(KCC&I) takes legal course before it is too late to stop take over of the prized horticulture land by CRPF.