JAMMU, OCT 23: The Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Jammu and Kashmir Government to initiate a comprehensive land-identification exercise for establishing ‘Kashyap Bhoomi’, a proposed integrated settlement aimed at the dignified, secure and sustainable rehabilitation of approximately five lakh displaced Kashmiri Pandits in the Kashmir Valley.
In an urgent representation, KPC President Kundan Kashmiri sought the identification and lawful allotment of suitable, consolidated government land in the broad geographical belt covering parts of Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts, particularly towards the southern, south-eastern and eastern sides, with consideration of connectivity towards the Jammu–Kishtwar–Doda region. The organisation clarified that it was not claiming any specific parcel of land and had left the identification and final selection entirely to the competent government authorities after due legal, technical, environmental and security assessments.
Emphasising the principle of “One Community, One Place, One Secure Future,” KPC argued that rehabilitation should extend beyond providing individual houses and employment to scattered families and instead create conditions for restoring the community’s collective social, cultural, religious and economic life in its ancestral homeland.
The organisation has called for a multidisciplinary committee involving the Revenue Department, Survey and Land Records authorities, Forest Department, Town and Country Planning authorities, infrastructure departments, environmental and geological experts, disaster-management agencies and security establishments. The proposed mechanism would survey potentially suitable areas, verify land ownership and legal status, examine availability and encroachments, and prepare a district-wise and tehsil-wise inventory detailing locations, Khasra numbers, area and feasibility.
KPC has proposed that the government examine the possibility of developing Kashyap Bhoomi as a planned settlement with an indicative capacity of approximately five lakh people, subject to land availability, environmental sustainability, infrastructure requirements and the carrying capacity established by expert agencies. The proposed development would be undertaken in phases rather than through simultaneous relocation of the entire displaced population.
The envisioned settlement would include residential sectors, schools, colleges, university-level and professional institutions, an IIT-level institution, an AIIMS-level or major tertiary healthcare facility, hospitals, industrial and commercial zones, IT and employment centres, markets, temples, cultural and heritage institutions, libraries, community halls, parks and sports facilities. Essential infrastructure such as roads, public transport, electricity, drinking water, drainage, sewage treatment, waste management, telecommunications, renewable energy and emergency services would also form part of the proposed master plan.
Security, cultural preservation and sustainable livelihoods have been identified as central pillars of the proposal. KPC maintains that a consolidated settlement could facilitate coordinated security arrangements while providing a shared environment for preserving the Kashmiri language, religious traditions, festivals, literature and cultural heritage across generations.
The organisation has stressed that the proposal is not intended to promote social isolation but to enable displaced families to rebuild their lives with dignity and confidence while remaining part of Jammu and Kashmir’s wider, pluralistic society. It has also highlighted the potential for educational institutions, healthcare facilities, technology centres and commercial activity to generate employment and contribute to the surrounding regional economy.
The representation calls for strict protection of forests, wetlands, water bodies, ecologically sensitive areas and productive agricultural and horticultural land, with all decisions subject to applicable laws and statutory requirements.
KPC has requested the government to formally consider its vision, undertake the proposed feasibility exercise, prepare a comprehensive master plan if the project is found viable, and establish a mechanism for consulting representatives of the displaced community on rehabilitation requirements and cultural infrastructure.
Copies of the representation have also been marked to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the Chief Secretary, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Revenue Department, Survey and Land Records authorities, Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants), and the Deputy Commissioners of Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag.
Kundan Kashmiri said the proposed initiative should be examined as a long-term rehabilitation and community-development framework rather than merely a housing project. The representation places the next step with the competent authorities, whose assessment of land availability, legal suitability, environmental safeguards, security and practical feasibility would determine whether and how the proposed Kashyap Bhoomi settlement could be implemented.
