Srinagar, Nov 26 (KNS) : J&K Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Wednesday expressed serious concern over a demolition in Kangan after visuals of a house being razed drew widespread unease.

In a statement, Lone said the footage was troubling on several counts. “I came across some visuals of demolition in Kangan. I have absolutely no idea why they were demolishing a seemingly beautiful house. The furniture is inside. The curtains are there. I can bet there is something sinister. Normally the furniture would be removed,” he said.

He questioned the basis of the action even if officials believed it was a commercial property. “Assume it was a hotel. How big a crime is it to make a hotel without permission. Are all hotels in Kashmir legal. Was this the last illegal hotel,” he asked.

Linking the incident to a broader structural problem he said, “If a majority of people are breaking the law, is there something wrong with the people or is there something wrong with the law.” He criticised the tendency to take moral positions only when it concerns someone else’s property. “Why is every person in Kashmir a climate activist or a sustainability expert when it pertains to other peoples properties,” he said.

PC President argued that Kashmir’s tourism aspirations require modern hotels and well designed infrastructure.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel“Doesn’t an aspiring tourist destination like Kashmir need infrastructure. Doesn’t it need hotels,” he said, adding that the region must update laws that he believes are “stuck in the era of the past”.

He said demolition drives invariably hit the powerless while officials who greenlight such structures face no accountability. “Who facilitated these constructions. Has even one person been booked. The answer is No. If you work in government, you operate with impunity,” he said.

Warning that shrinking government employment cannot sustain the population he said, “There are no government jobs on offer. If government will not allow to build, will not innovate, what will people do. How will they earn a living.”

He urged the administration to allow serious private investment in tourism, noting that “the old style of tourism of making huts will not work” and that “the Babus should make way for tourism consultants”.

In an appeal to the Chief Minister he said, “Please take a personal interest in revamping a mindset which is a fossil dating back to decades.” Lone called for deregulation, an end to punitive demolitions and a fair enforcement system. “Why is it that only poor homes or hotels get demolished. What about the elite. Are they all within the permissible limits,” he asked.(KNS)