Jammu lawyers announce 1-day work suspension against the imposition of property tax in J&K

Jammu, Feb 22 (PTI) The Jammu chapter of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association on Wednesday announced a one-day suspension of work against the decision of the administration to impose property tax in the Union Territory.

Bar association president M K Bhardwaj said the decision to suspend work on Thursday was taken at a meeting which was convened to discuss the “anti-people” decisions of the Lt Governor-led administration.

“We strongly condemn imposition of property tax on the people, who are reeling under financial distress owing to wrong policies of this administration. We have an anti-encroachment drive where the people in possession of land for over decades together are deprived of their land,” Bhardwaj told reporters here.

“Such important decisions should have been left for an elected government rather than by the Lt Governor administration. The government should immediately restore statehood and hold assembly elections,” Bhardwaj said.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday issued a notification for imposition of property tax in the Union Territory which will come into effect from the next financial year.

Demanding immediate withdrawal of the notification, he said the bar would not hesitate in calling for a general strike against the “tax terrorism” and challenge the “anti-people” measures in the people’s court.

He claimed that the people are upset with the “wrong policies” of the administration.

Democratic Azad Party Corporator Gourav Chopra also voiced his resentment against the imposition of property tax calling it a “financial burden” on people.

He said the Jammu Municipal Corporation had passed a resolution in December last year against the imposition of the tax.

Meanwhile, Mayor Rajinder Sharma said the imposition of the property tax is a decision of the Lt governor administration and not of the JMC.

“We have decided to convene the general house on Saturday to hear the public opinion (on the property tax) and will accordingly take up the issue with Lt Governor as well as BJP state and National presidents,” he said.

Mission Statehood president Sunil Dimple also led a protest against imposition of property tax here and threatened to intensify the agitation if the notification was not immediately withdrawn.