Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the government has approved the allotment of five ‘marlas’ of land on a 40-year lease basis to landless families affected by natural calamities in 2025.
Over 6,400 families hit by flash floods and landslides in Udhampur district have been provided financial assistance, he said.
In a written reply to a question by BJP member Balwant Singh Mankotia in the Assembly, the chief minister said the Council of Ministers took a decision, which was followed by a government order issued on January 2, approving the allotment of five marlas (1.60 acre) of state land to each landless family rendered homeless due to floods, landslides, cloudbursts and earthquakes in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the land would be provided on a lease basis for residential purposes without charging any premium.
“The beneficiaries will be required to pay an annual ground rent of Rs 10 per marla for a period of 40 years, which can be extended further as per rules after approval by the competent authority,” he said.
The chief minister said the allotment will be subject to the conditions laid down in the government order.
He said over 6,400 families affected by flash floods and landslides in Udhampur district have been provided financial assistance amounting to more than Rs 23.49 crore.
“A total of 6,449 affected families across Udhampur, Chenani, Ramnagar and Latti-Marothi tehsils were provided compensation as per prescribed norms,” he added.
He said 2,666 affected families in Udhampur tehsil were sanctioned Rs 9.32 crore, approximately while 1,208 families in Chenani tehsil received over Rs 5 crore.
In Ramnagar tehsil, 2,298 affected families were sanctioned Rs 7.8635 cr, and 277 families in Latti-Marothi tehsil were provided over Rs 1 crore as relief assistance. The chief minister said damage assessment was conducted by field teams and eligible cases were verified as per State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms. He added that compensation was sanctioned and disbursed directly to the affected families through prescribed financial mechanisms.
He said the government has also taken steps for rehabilitation of families rendered landless due to natural calamities by providing state land for residential purposes on a lease basis under approved norms.