Srinagar: Among those applying and receiving domicile certificates are retired soldiers and officers of the Gorkha community, who now can buy land and property, and apply for jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.
In Jammu and Kashmir, nearly 6,000 such certificates have been issued so far, The Times of India reported.
Quoting Vijay Kumar Sharma, additional deputy commissioner (revenue), Jammu, the report said that “more than 5,900 certificates have already been issued.”
“In my tehsil alone, there are nearly 2,500 from the Gorkha community who had served in the Indian Army and their families who got domicile (about 3,500 have applied). There are quite a few from the Valmiki community also,” Dr Rohit Sharma, tehsildar of Bahu in Jammu, was quoted saying in the report.
It added that on average, 200 applications are received each day, and so far 33,000 applications have been received.
Rohit Kansal, spokesperson of the J&K government, was quoted saying in the report that getting a domicile certificate was a time-bound process.
“We have notified rules to act against any Tehsildar who delays offering domicile. We will not allow the wait to be prolonged any further,” the report quoted him as saying.
The report also carried pictures of former Gorkha soldiers and members of the community showing their domicile certificates.
The domicile rules had been notified by the J&K administration on May 18, with a rider that issuing officers (tehsildars in this case) who did not provide certificates in 15 days would be penalised Rs 50,000. Non-locals who had lived in J&K for 15 years, their children, officers with central government and central institutions and anyone who has studied in J&K for seven years and appeared in the Class X or XII exams became eligible.

Reader correspondent