Click to play videoBaramulla: The Centre has hiked the rent for land occupied by the Armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir to help Apple orchard owners in the state who lose out on revenue due to the army's presence.
However, the issue seems to be taking a political turn with the orchard owners wanting the Armed Forces to vacate their lands.
Mohammad Yousuf Dar owns a large orchard in Baramulla, however, a portion of his land was taken over by the Army back in the 1990s, for which he gets no rent.
Though the Centre has hiked rent for land occupied by the army, farmers like Dar feel that the gesture is of no use.
“We are miserable because of huge losses. The army has taken major chunks of land. We want our land back. I don't want my kids to be jobless,'' says Dar.
Statistics show that of the 6400 hectares of land held by the armed forces in the Valley, nearly 1700 hectares have been occupied without authorisation.
It is apple versus army yet again. Farmers say that three-fold or five-fold increase in rents won't help. They want the troops to evacuate their private properties.
The issue also seems to be heating up the political climate in Kashmir.
The ruling Congress's ally PDP had earlier demanded that troops should vacate orchards, paddy fields, and government buildings. It is livid that the demand has not been met.
The state government had come to the brink of collapse last year, after the PDP threatened to pull out if troops weren’t withdrawn. And it seems the Centre’s latest decision could provoke another political war of words.
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