As Kashmir Loses Special Status, Maharashtra Government Says It Will Buy Land In Valley

The Maharashtra government has said that it will buy land in Kashmir to set up two resorts in the region as nullification of Article 370 of the Constitution paved way for non-residents to buy property in the Valley. According to reports citing officials, the Maharashtra Tourism development Corporation (MTDC) is planning to set up two resorts in the Union Territories of Kashmir and Ladakh.

While one resort will be built in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the other will be set up in Leh. The government officials said that the resorts will provide comfortable stay to tourists going to the holy shrines of Amarnath and Vaishno Devi.

The move, likely to provoke a backlash has come a month after the Narendra Modi government striped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status which also led to the removing the ban on buying land in the Valley by non-residents.

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The BJP-led Maharashtra government said that it has allotted Rs 1 crore for each resort and the process to identify the location will start within a fortnight.

"In Leh, we are planning to start a mountaineering resort, because of Maharashtrians are interested in mountain climbing, we are going have our own mountaineering resort there," State tourism minister Jaykumar Rawal said.

Several politicians, including Goa Ports Minister Michael, had shown their interest in buying land in Kashmir after the nullification of the state’s special status and its bifurcation into two Union Territories.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Maharashtra govt will set up two resorts in Kashmir and Ladakh.
• After nullification of Article 370, non-residents are allowed to buy land in Kashmir.
• Several politicians have shown interest in buying land in Kashmir.