Rana pushes for swift land allotment for Mendhar, Balakote calamity victims

MENDHAR: Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology & Environment and Tribal Affairs, Javed Ahmed Rana, on Monday convened a review meeting regarding the progress on land allotment for the families affected in the Kalaban, Sangiote and Surhoti areas of Mendhar and Balakote tehsils.
The meeting was attended by Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mendhar, Tehsildars of Mendhar and Balakote besides the concerned revenue officers and field staff from the affected tehsils.
The Minister had a detailed discussion on the current status of land allocation to the families who were rendered landless due to natural calamities in 2025.
It is pertinent to mention that J&K government has ordered 5 marla state land on lease to each family rendered landless due to recent natural calamities i.e., floods, landslide, cloudburst and earthquakes in 2025 in Jammu and Kashmir for the residential purposes.
Javed Rana emphasised on expediting the process and ironing out all issues hampering the implementation process. He emphasised the importance of timely relief and rehabilitation while issuing strict directions to the concerned on this account. He stressed that the process must be carried out in a mission-mode to ensure that the affected families receive their entitled land without unnecessary delays.
Reiterating the Omar Abdullah-led government’s commitment towards rehabilitation of the affected families, the Minister underscored that the land allotment initiative remains a priority and would be implemented with transparency, efficiency and strict adherence to the set guidelines.