{
  "id": 12534412,
  "title": "Marriage halls built on J&K state land by ‘occupants’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/marriage-halls-built-on-j-k-state-land-by-occupants",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T02:02:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2035308/marriage-halls-built-on-jk-state-land-by-occupants"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Large-scale commercial exploitation of Jammu & Kashmir State land, encompassing the construction and operation of marriage halls and other enterprises by unauthorized occupants, drew attention on Tuesday as a Senate subcommittee ordered the sealing of unauthorized structures and demanded documentation of five years of rent collection and utilization. The Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan, and States and Frontier Regions convened a meeting led by Senator Nasir Mehmood to assess the rent collection system for properties on J&K State land, scrutinize encroachments, and emphasize transparency, accountability, and enforcement. It was revealed that the State possesses a total of 34,616 kanals, approximately 4,327 acres, with one kanal equating to about 20 acres. Encroachments covering 318 acres, 8 kanals, and 9 marlas had been identified in Sultanpura and Rehmanpura, Lahore, representing roughly 7.37% of the total property in the specified area. Sultanpura alone accounted for 153 acres, 2 kanals, and 13 marlas, while Rehmanpura encompassed 165 acres, 3 kanals, and 16 marlas. The committee expressed serious concern regarding the construction and operation of unauthorized marriage halls and other commercial activities on state land. Officials were instructed to seal the unauthorized marriage halls, provide photographic evidence, and report any violations in the form of an FIR. The committee also voiced apprehension over the issuance of unauthorized or dubious NOCs for electricity connections, mandating a thorough investigation. Officials informed the committee that the department oversees approximately 3,160 tenancies. Receipts are issued to tenants as original records, while duplicate and voided copies are retained for auditing purposes. Manual rent collections are recorded in a cash book and deposited via treasury challans, while digital payments are credited directly to authorized accounts. Manual receipts, collection statements, cash book entries, and deposit records undergo cross-verification, with automated digital reconciliation facilitated by the PayZen system. Concern was expressed over the ongoing practice of cash-based rent collection, leading the committee to request detailed records of total rent collected, its deposit in banks or government accounts, outstanding dues, and tenant records. Officials stated that the process was being digitized, with efforts underway to transition a majority of tenants to a digital system. The committee's chairman directed officials to furnish a five-year record of rent collection and utilization, along with details of tenants, rent collected, deposit dates, outstanding dues, and receipts. He emphasized that the system should be transparent, thoroughly documented, and subject to robust checks and balances. Senator Naseema Ehsan inquired about reported theft, irregularities, and misuse of state property. Officials acknowledged past irregularities and a pending case before the National Accountability Bureau. The committee sought information on such cases and recoveries. Officials noted that J&K State land has been demarcated in accordance with revenue records and geo-referenced through PITB-assisted systems. Digital maps, including Aks Shajra, were made accessible to the sub-committee. The chairman instructed officials to provide comprehensive details of state land, including demarcation, tenancy, rent collection, and encroachments, and pledged that the committee would conduct on-site field visits to verify the situation on the ground.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: Large-scale commercial use of Jammu & Kashmir State land, including construction and operation of marriage halls and other businesses by illegal occupants came under scrutiny on Tuesday as a Senate subcommittee ordered sealing of unauthorised structures and sought five-year record of rent collection and utilisation. The meeting of the subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn - Pakistan",
        "title": "Marriage halls built on J&K state land by ‘occupants’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/marriage-halls-built-on-j-k-state-land-by-occupants-12537158",
        "published": "2026-10-07T02:02:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}