Second anniversary of Article 370: What's the situation in J&K

Ground Report | New Delhi: Second anniversary of Article 370; The second anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. On this day on August 5, 2019, Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was removed. The Modi government at the Center had also announced the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. 

Today i.e. on Thursday, two years of this historic step are being completed. Many provisions related to Jammu and Kashmir have also been changed during this period. Not only this, the situation in the Union Territory has also changed a lot. Let us have a look at some of these and understand.

Second anniversary of Article 370

After the abrogation of Article 370, the BJP government at the Center announced several ambitious policies to promote development in Jammu and Kashmir. These included a land bank of 6,000 acres to set up industries and increase manufacturing. More than half have been transferred to the Industries and Commerce Department – ​​2,125 acres in Jammu and 1,000 acres in Kashmir. The move is in line with the Industrial Policy-2016, which envisaged the creation of a land bank of 20,000 kanals (2,500 acres) in Jammu and Kashmir.

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According to the report of The Week, the UT administration has identified 292 industrial areas in different districts of the UT. As per the allocation policy 2021-30, out of total 292 industrial areas, 150 have been identified in 10 districts of the Jammu division and 142 in 10 districts of Kashmir.

The application for allotment of land shall be scrutinized by a committee within 30 days; For projects worth Rs 200 crore, the period of investigation will be 45 days. The land will be allotted to investors on lease for an initial period of 40 years, which can be extended up to 99 years.

Any citizen of India can buy immovable property in Jammu and Kashmir after 5th August 2019. The move has created an opportunity for private players to invest in real estate and other infrastructural projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

Increase immoral and social evils

"Unlike construction and development, Kashmiris' sense of deprivation has increased. This was to happen because it was a wrong decision taken on the wrong grounds. This decision has created more bitterness in the hearts of Kashmiris.

"There has been no development since August 5. What is new now is moral decay. Drug use and alcoholism are becoming more common. There has been a dramatic increase in suicides and divorces.

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"A young generation of ours has been the victim of bullets and pellets. I believe that if no remedy is taken, our present young generation may fall prey to drugs. According to a report by the World Health Organization, 70,000 people in Kashmir are addicted to drugs. But the figures from other agencies are even more alarming. About 2.5 million people in our country are addicted to this drug.

2300 people booked under UAPA since 2019

Since 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has registered 2,300 such cases, out of which 1,200 people have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and 954 under the Public Safety Act (PSA). 46% of UAPA cases and 30% of PSA cases are still lodged in jails in and outside Jammu and Kashmir.

Official police data accessed by the newspaper found that 699 people were detained under the PSA in 2019 and 160 in 2020. At the same time, 95 people were detained under the PSA till the end of July in 2021. Of these, 284 people are still in custody.

At least 290 people were booked under the PSA in the first 30 days after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was withdrawn on 5 August 2019. These included former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.

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Second anniversary of Article 370; Local militants is increasing

According to a report by news agency PTI, 203 militants were killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2020, out of which 166 were local militants. In the year 2019, 152 militants were killed of these, 120 were local Kashmiris.

A senior security official said that there are currently more than 200 active militants in Kashmir. It is believed that 80 of these are foreign and 120 are local.

Between January and July this year, around 76 Kashmiris took up arms and this number may increase." Security agencies say that militancy in Kashmir has decreased compared to previous years, but experts say that the involvement of local militants is increasing, which is a worrying trend for this in the Kashmir valley.

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