Home Minister Amit Shah Led GoM To Monitor Disposal Of Enemy Properties; Likely To Fetch Rs 1 Lakh Crore

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be heading a group of ministers (GoM) that will monitor the disposal of over 9,400 enemy properties, which are expected to fetch about Rs 1 lakh crore to the public exchequer, reports MoneyControl.

Besides, two other high-level panels, one to headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other to be co-chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, will also be constituted for the disposal of immovable enemy properties vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India under the Enemy Property Act, according to an official order.

Enemy property refers to property or assets held or managed on behalf of an enemy subject or an enemy company. It also refers to assets left behind by individuals who migrated to Pakistan or China and are no longer citizens of India. These assets include land, buildings, shares held in companies, jewellery of the citizens of enemy countries.

According to the report, the order said that an Inter-Ministerial Group will be set up for disposal of enemy properties and it will be co-chaired by the union home secretary and the secretary of the department of investment and public asset management.

The order said the Centre may constitute an alternative mechanism comprising Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

There are 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals and 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals. Earlier in 2018, the then MoS Home Hansraj Ahir had informed Rajya Sabha that the “estimated value of all enemy properties is approximately Rs 1 lakh crore”.

Of the 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals, Uttar Pradesh has the highest 4,991 enemy properties, followed by West Bengal which has 2,735 such properties. Delhi has 487 such properties of Pakistani nationals.

Among the 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals, the highest 57 are located in Meghalaya followed by West Bengal with 29. Assam has seven such properties.