J&K: Construction, Repair Works Banned Near Army’s Field Ordinance Depots

The residents living near ordinance depots have been asked not to stack up wood, stones, bricks, gravel or any other construction material in the notified zone.

Srinagar: The J&K administration has banned constructions and repair works in the vicinity of army’s field ordinance depots in Kashmir.

The notifications banning the works, unless approved by the army and the government, have been issued by the district commissioners under the provisions of Works of Defence Act (WODA), 1903.

One such notice asked people of Indira Nagar locality in the summer capital Srinagar that no construction shall be made or altered in the area lying 500 yards from the outer crest of 2-Field Ordinance Depot (FOD), without prior approval of the deputy commissioner and General Officer Commanding.

Indira Nagar is one of more than a dozen localities that falls under jurisdiction of Badamibagh Cantonment. Established in 1954, the Cantonment comprises 1,458 acres of land including 313 acres of civilian area, according to the official data. It is barely four km from the Valley’s commercial hub, Lal Chowk.

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An official said the Centre has declared that under section 3 of the WODA it can impose restrictions on use of the land near the ordinance depots for construction of buildings and other “obstructions”.

The residents living near ordinance depots have been asked not to stack up wood, stones, bricks, gravel or any other construction material in the notified zone.

“No such material shall be stacked, stored or otherwise accumulated in the area,” reads the notification. “This implies to land owners, lessees or occupiers of the land which are in the close vicinity – 500 meters from the outer crest of the 2-FODs at BB Cant.”

Similarly, a separate notification issued by the district commissioner Kupwara, banning the construction within 500 yards of 28-Mountain Divisions Ordinance Unit, says that no variation shall be made in the ground level and no building, wall, bank or other constructions above the ground shall be erected or altered without approval of General Officer Commanding of the Division.

“Any violation shall be dealt with strictly under the law by the district administration on receipt of information from local commander,” it reads.

The move has triggered fear among locals in the Valley. “This is for the first time the government has directed us from not making use of our own land,” said a local from Indira Nagar who identified himself as Shameem.

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He linked the fresh order to abrogation of J&K’s special status. The Centre on August 5 scrapped Article 370 of the constitution and bifurcated the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

People in Kashmir fear that reading down of the constitutional provisions, which gave separate flag and constitutions to J&K was a “design” to settle people from outside states in J&K and change its demography.

However, both the J&K administration and the Army said the ban was not specific to J&K only but it was applicable to all places across the country housing the ordinance depots.

An Army official the ban was first imposed on July, 2 2004 under SRO-96, but it was not implemented on the ground. “Now, the decision will be implemented,” he said.

According to the official, the district commissioner and the army will jointly demarcate 500 yard limitation around the depots and any construction in the future has to have prior approval from both the government and army.

He, however, said people will not be evicted from the demarcated land. “If people are already living within the notified zone they will not be evicted,” the official said.

The divisional commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmad Khan said that the decision was not new. “It has been there for some time now,” Khan said.

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The official said the notifications were issued by the defence ministry earlier this year under the WODA. According to the WODA guidelines the Centre can, where ever it “appears necessary”, impose restrictions on the use of land in the vicinity of any defence area or at any site intended to be acquired for any defence work.

“A declaration shall be made to this effect and the said declaration shall be conclusive proof that it is necessary to keep the land free from building and other obstructions,” the guidelines read.

The official said the J&K’s home department had in September this year sought reports from the divisional commissioner, Kashmir and deputy commissioners of Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag on implementation of the defence ministry directions.

He said the ban will be applicable to all such districts of J&K where army has ordinance depots. “The mandate of J&K government is only to notify the public,” he said.