Portal For Kashmiri Migrants To Help Reclaim Their Properties Launched By Lt Gov Manoj Sinha

The administration has taken a big decision for Kashmiri migrants who left Kashmir due to terrorist and militant attacks. An online portal has been launched for Kashmiri migrants.

File Image of Manoj Sinha

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday launched an online portal for time-bound redressal of grievances related to Kashmir migrants' immovable properties.

The Kashmir migrants can log in to http://jkmigrantrelief.nic.in/ or http://kashmirmigrantsip.jk.gov.in to submit their complaints, an official spokesman said.

The application filed on the portal will be disposed of in a fixed time frame under the Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011, by the revenue authorities under intimation to the applicant, he said.

"The competent authority (Deputy Commissioner) shall undertake survey/field verification of migrant properties and update all registers, within a period of 15 days and submit a compliance report to the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir," he added.

Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor said the initiative will put an end to the plight of the migrants including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, who have been suffering since the 1990s.

"I met numerous delegations from across the religions in the last 13 months and they unequivocally supported the return of migrants," he said.

It is the responsibility of the present to rectify the mistakes of the past. While laying the foundation for a bright future, this is also the time to heal the old wounds. I request all citizens to support the administration in this effort and set a new example of brotherhood, Sinha said.

Nearly 60,000 families migrated from the valley during the turmoil, out of which approximately 44,000 migrant families are registered with the Relief Organisation, J-K, whereas the rest of the families chose to shift to other states and UTs, the spokesman said.

The hapless migrants had to leave behind their immovable as well as movable properties, the LG said.

"The violence has affected all. Out of those 44,000 migrant families, 40,142 are Hindu families, 2,684 Muslim families and 1,730 belong to the Sikh community.

During the trial run period of the portal, we have received 854 grievances. It clearly shows a large number of migrant families were awaiting justice. Now, the time-bound action on complaints will not only restore the faith of people in the system but I believe thousands of families achieve closure, justice, and regain their dignity, the Lt Governor said.

It is pertinent to mention that with the onset of the Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir in 1989-1990, a large number of people had to migrate from their ancestral places of residence, particularly in the Kashmir division, the spokesman said.

There was a mass exodus of Kashmiri Hindus as well as a number of Sikhs and Muslim families. Under compelling circumstances, the immovable properties of these migrants got either encroached or they were forced to sell their properties at throwaway prices, he said.

In order to address this issue, on June 2, 1997, an act namely The Jammu and Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection, and Restraint on Distress Sales) Act, 1997 was enacted, he said.

This act provides preservation, protection, and restraint on distress sales of the immovable property of the migrants.