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Various umbrella bodies of industrialists have strongly opposed allotment of 246 kanal of land at erstwhile Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) premises for a proposed police housing colony and

another 80 kanal,12 marla for paramilitary Sashtra Seema Bal. They also lambasted the government for failing to ask paramilitary CRPF to vacate the then HMT premises.  In separate statements

issued here, both factions of Federation Chambers of Industries Kashmir said state government should relocate the proposed police housing colony and other paramilitary forces from erstwhile

HMT at Zainakote or else be “ready to face backlash from industry”. Muhammad Ashraf Mir, president of his faction of FCIK said the industrial land at Industrial Estate Zainakote which was

allotted to HMT watch factory and on its closure was returned to industries department is being illegally occupied by the CRPF. “As if that was not enough the land use is being violated by

none other than the government itself by allotting it to police housing corporation and SSB,” Mir said. Mir said land bank that was proposed in the industrial policy in vogue is nowhere in

sight and instead the land that is with the Kashmir industry is being snatched from it on one pretext or the other.  Mir said Ompora Industrial Estate was not developed because of the

interference of the Air Force and the entrepreneurs who were assured land there were “left high and dry” looking for alternatives. “The land use of industrial land of erstwhile HMT watch

factory if changed is going to create more problems than solution for government in future,” Mir said.  FCIK would like to remind the Industries Minister about the announcement he made at an

occasion recently that the HMT land has been retrieved and will be allotted to aspiring entrepreneurs and the State Forest Corporation Land adjacent to IE Shalteng would also be exchanged

with Ompora Industrial Land, Mir added. Meanwhile, an emergency meeting at FCIK House Sanat Nagar was held to discuss the erstwhile HMT land related issue. FCIK President Mukthair Yousuf

said the decision is “indicative of the revised policy of the government to give preference to law and order over all other initiatives through more and more militarisation of the state”.

FCIK has criticised the government for overlooking at the “discrimination” meted out the valley based entrepreneurs on account of development of industrial plots. “Whereas the three

districts of Jammu have been bestowed with 25000 kanals of industrial plots in organised industrial estates, only 7,000 kanals of such plots have been developed across the valley,” said a

statement of FCIK.   “With the persuasion of FCIK, the previous dispensation had agreed to use the HMT land for distribution among prospective units besides existing units for their

expansion programmes. However, it is regretful that the present government had decided to transfer the land to Home Department for setting up of a police colony,” said Yousuf. He said

appropriate action including legal course in consultation with its constituent members particularly industrial association of I/E Zainakote would be taken incase government order is not

revoked. Small Scale Industries Association, Zainakote has also criticized the allotment of land at HMT to police housing colony and paramilitary forces. “We appreciate efforts of the

government to retrieve the HMT land but we outrightly reject the allotment of land to police and security forces for constructing their housing establishments. The government should take all

stake-holders on-board before deciding utilization of retrieved land,” said a statement from SSIA.