Govt begins process of selling enemy properties

■ MHA forms committee to ensure time- bound completion, issues guidelines

New Delhi, March 26: In a bid enrich its coffers by about ` 1 lakh crore, the government has started the process of monetisation of more than 9,400 enemy properties by issuing guidelines and directing the office of the custodian to submit a list of all such movable and immovable assets within three months, officials said.

The ministry of home affairs has also constituted a valuation committee at the district level, headed by the district magistrate, and an inter- ministerial disposal committee, headed by an additional secretary, so that the process could be completed in a time- bound manner.

The move comes after the amendment of the Enemy Property ( Amendment and Validation) Act 2017 and the Enemy Property ( Amendment) Rules, 2018, which ensured that the heirs of those who migrated to Pakistan and China during partition and afterwards will have no claim over the properties left behind in India.

The enemy properties were those left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China. There are 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals and 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals, a ministry official said.

The government has vested these properties in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted under the Central government.

The office of the custodian should submit a list of all enemy properties to the Central government, the home ministry said.

“A list of all vested enemy properties ( movable and immovable) shall be prepared by the custodian for its submission to the Central government within three months from the publication of this order,” it said.

For the purpose of valuation of the immovable enemy property, a valuation committee will be constituted at the district level with the district magistrate as the chairman besides two other official members.

The committee shall consider the circle rate of the area where the property is situated or a rate fixed by the district administration as a mode of valuation of the property along with other valuation modes.

The custodian will prepare and submit the statewise list of the enemy properties along with their valuation to the central government within one month from the date of receipt of the valuation report from the valuation committee.

The Central government will also constitute an Enemy Property Disposal Committee. The committee shall give its recommendation to the central government for the disposal of the enemy property or the manner in which the enemy property may be dealt with and matters connected with it.

◗ The enemy properties were those left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pak and China