Amarnath land transfer was not my decision: Former J-K Governor

NEW DELHI: "The decision to divert the land Amarnath Yatra was not my own," said former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Lt Gen S K Sinha, in an interview to a private television channel. When asked about his role on the Amarnath land transfer controversy, Lt. Gen. Sinha said: "There is a tremendous amount of misinformation. People do not know facts and have been making totally false allegations. I did not take the decision to divert land for Amarnath Yatra. The decision was taken by the State Government."

Lt. Gen. Sinha blamed the People's Democratic Party for the ongoing situation in Jammu and Kashmir. "Mufti Mohammed Sayeed is known for his communal and anti-national activities. He and his party jumped onto the bandwagon to take on the leadership of this movement and the theatre was absurd. The party which sanctioned it, now tries to do this," he said.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra last night appointed a four-member committee for holding talks with the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti (SASS) to find a solution for the ongoing Amarnath land transfer row.

The members are: Vice-Chancellor of the Jammu University Amitabh Mattoo, a retired judge of the State High Court Justice G.D. Sharma, the former Chief Secretary, S.S. Billoria, and the Governor's Principal Secretary B.B. Vyas. All eight members of the shrine board submitted their resignations to the Governor on Wednesday to enable him to reconstitute the board.