MENDHAR,26-02-2023 : President Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) Pirpanjal and former MLA, Javed Ahmed Rana today strongly condemned the imposition of Property Tax on the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are already being crushed by the highest inflation and skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.
In this connection, a Special Delegate session was organized under the chairmanship of Javed Ahmed Rana at Mendhar in which several issues related to the problems being faced by the general public were also discussed. The recent decision of Government to impose property tax on the people of J&K was also discussed threadbare.
During the session, various resolutions were passed including Restoration of Art 370 and 35-A, social security, revoking of anti-people decision like eviction drive, property tax, etc.
The senior NC leader asserted that the present dispensation is trying to create a wedge between various segments of society in order to divert attention from current crisis. “We have to foil all these attempts collectively by ensuring amity and tranquillity,” he maintained.
Javed Rana said mis-governance of the past eight years has pushed Jammu and Kashmir decades back in respect of development and welfare of the people. “Due to wrong policies of the government at the Centre, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are completely feeling alienated,” he added.
The former Legislator said that the decision of imposing property tax has been taken in a hurry. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are not so well off economically yet and to put the burden of property tax on them would be an extra burden for them. He said that the incumbent J&K Administration which is running BJP’s proxy government in J&K has been thrusting only anti people policies on the people. He said that instead of giving some relief to the people in J&K where the unemployment rate is highest among the States and Union Territories across the nation, it has initiated yet another unwanted measure of charging tax on the common people’s properties thus overburdening the people with property tax now.
“Unemployment is at its peak, the prices of essentials are sky rocketing and the farmers continue to be the worst sufferers due to the wrong policies of government and amid such a grim situation the Govt has been resorting to demolition and eviction drives leaving the common and poor people shelterless,” he said, adding that the people of J&K have suffered during the past 32-years of militancy which have broken the back bone of the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. As if all this was not enough, and the Government has now started overburdening the people with taxes, the latest one being the imposition of property tax. “This is not the appropriate time to impose the property tax on the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The senior NC leader said that Jammu and Kashmir is already facing proxy war. There is no stability of law and order in the state as already the Pakistan is making repeated attempts to create disturbance in the Jammu region. We cannot compare J&K with the developed states of the country who are economically well-off, he added.
Javed Rana said that a Lt Governor cannot impose the property tax on the general public and only an elected government can decide it. He asserted that for the last four years, no elections have been conducted in Jammu and Kashmir and for the past several years they are awaiting the announcement of the elections so that the people can get its popular government in J&K.
The senior NC leader asserted that continuation of eviction drive, imposition of property tax, issuing of eviction notice to evacuee property tenants are creating fear among people. Such anti-people decisions are diverting attention of people of Jammu and Kashmir due to which the government is not holding elections in the state.
Javed Rana exuded confidence that people will collectively foil the attempts of dividing the society in the name of region or religion, saying unity in diversity has been the real strength of this state. “This unity is to be maintained at all costs”, he said, adding that people have to play an important role and teach a lesson of life in the upcoming polls in the state.