MoD signs MoU With MHA For Transfer Of ‘Defence Land’

SRINAGAR: Ministry of Defence signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Home Affairs through Government of UT of J&K for transfer of Defence land measuring 139.04 acres situated at Tattoo ground to Ministry of Home Affairs for the promotion of tourism and other developmental activities in the region.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha presided over the MoU signing ceremony at Raj Bhawan.
Ministry of Defence was represented through Local Military Authority of Tattoo Ground Garrison and Defence Estate Officer Kashmir Circle Srinagar. The land will be handed over by the Ministry of Defence within the period of 120 days.
The Lt Governor termed the MoU as a momentous occasion in developing major tourism space in J&K UT.
Hailing the Army for its cooperation, the Lt Governor said the administration and security forces are dedicated to welfare of people.
We will make honest and dedicated efforts to fulfill all the conditions of the MoU and develop tourism and other related activities in such a way that the tourists visiting Kashmir valley find Tattoo ground as one of the most attractive destinations, he said.
The Lt Governor also discussed with the senior Army officers the ‘Mera Mati Mera Desh’ campaign to honour the martyrs and preparations for Independence Day events.
Lt General Rajiv Ghai, GOC 15 Corps; Dr Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lt Governor; Sh Vijay Kumar, ADGP Kashmir; Sh Vijay Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; senior officers of the Army and UT Administration were present on the occasion.
Tattoo Ground in the Batamaloo area of the city has been under Army’s use for a long time. The Jammu and Kashmir government had been asking the Army to vacate 1,000 kanals of the prime land, and in 2015, after a civil-military liaison conference chaired by the then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Army had agreed to vacate 136 kanals.
Sayeed had laid the foundation for a children’s park there in 2015 after persuading the Army to vacate land, of which 76 kanals had been handed over to the state government.

KR Desk