Retired Gurkha soldiers, families among 6600 granted domicile in J&K

SRINAGAR — Over 6,600 applicants have got the document that allows them to buy property and apply for jobs in Jammu and Kashmir since the Union Territory administration started issuing domicile certificates to non-locals, reports said.

The applicants include majority of retired soldiers and officers from the Gorkha community, a reputed national newspaper reported.

The report states that about 700 certificates have been issued in Kashmir, many of them are former Gurkha soldiers and officers.

“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.

The J&K administration had notified the domicile rules on May 18 with a stern warning to issuing officers who did not provide certificates in 15 days would be penalized Rs. 50,000.

Non-locals who became eligible for the domicile certificate are the ones who have 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.

“We get an average of 200 applications per day,” an official said.

The administration started issuing domicile certificates last week, when an IAS officer from Bihar, Navin Kumar Choudhary, became the first senior non-local officer to get a domicile certificate.

The J&K administration said that they are doing their best despite the slow internet. “We have notified rules to act against any Tehsildar who delays offering domicile. We will not allow the wait to be prolonged any further,” said Rohit Kansal, spokesperson of the J&K administration.