Panel to divide assets between J&K, Ladakh

New Delhi: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on home affairs was on Friday informed that situation in the newly-created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was returning to normal and though assured that the detained political leaders, which includes three former chief ministers, would be released, no deadline for it was specified.

The Centre has also constituted a three-member committee for division of assets between the two UTs, the committee was told. The committee has been constituted under Section 84 of the J-K Reorganisation Act for division of assets, rights and liabilities between the two UTs. While former defence secretary Sanjay Mitra would be the chairman of the committee, retired IAS officer Arun Goyal and retired Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer Giriraj Prasad Gupta would be its members.

The 14th Finance Commission award has been apportioned between the two UTs in the ratio of 70 per cent for J&K and 30 per cent for Ladakh for the remaining five months of the 2019-20 fiscal. Recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission have been approved for government employees of the UTs of J-K and Ladakh.

Members of the committee, which has MPs from both Houses of Parliament, asked specific questions from senior home ministry officials, including home secretary A.K. Bhalla, regarding the detained political leaders from the Valley, who have been in detention since Aug 5 following revocation of Article 370.

Home ministry officials also informed the panel that normalcy was returning to the Valley as schools were now open and even apple trade was going on smoothly. On the issue of restoring Internet services, the officials claimed that this was done so that subversive elements could not misuse it to trigger violence in the region. No fixed time frame as given for restoration of Internet services though all landline services, post paid mobile voice phone services have been restored. Even restrictions under Section 144 on movement withdrawn or relaxed, except for night time restrictions in the Valley.