Govt yet to frame policy for use of land retrieved so far
No seriousness being shown towards Guv, CS directives
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 27: The much-hyped drive to remove encroachments on over 18 lakh kanals of Government, Forest and other categories of land has slowed down in major parts of the State despite explicit directives from the Governor and Chief Secretary against showing any laxity. Moreover, the Government has yet not formulated any policy for proper use of the land retrieved so far thereby leaving the same prone to the encroachments in future.
The then Governor N N Vohra had on July 21, 2018 voiced deep concern over encroachment of over 18 lakh kanals of Government, Panchayat and Forest land in the State in gross violation of Revenue, Forest and Municipal laws.
Accordingly, he had directed the Deputy Commissioners to map the encroachments in their respective districts by making use of available technologies like geo-tagging and satellite mapping and forward the same to the respective Divisional Commissioners.
A deadline of August 15, 2018 was fixed for the Divisional Commissioners for preparation of lists of major encroachments and then start of anti-encroachment drive on a large scale in order to tighten noose around the land mafia.
Initially, all the Deputy Commissioners of the State vigorously launched anti-encroachment drive in their respective districts and started coming out with regular statements mentioning the details of the retrieved land.
“However, during the past one and half month the anti-encroachment drive has slowed down in major parts of the State and retrieval of land is nobody’s priority now”, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “in those districts where anti-encroachment drive was launched on large scale at the initial stage no such activity has been carried out since first week of September”.
Moreover, there are certain districts in the State where anti-encroachment drive has been carried out for formality sake only, sources said, adding the anti-encroachment drive has slowed down despite the fact that Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam on August 22, 2018 had directed both the Divisional Commissioners and all the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that there was no let up in retrieval of land by tightening noose around the land grabbers.
Admitting that anti-encroachment drive has slowed down across the State, some senior officers in the administration attributed the same to focus of the official machinery on Urban Local Bodies and Panchayat elections. “Since entire administration is busy in making arrangements for polls it is finding it difficult to lay focus on encroached land retrieval exercise”, they added.
However, official sources have dubbed this as an attempt to hide failure to act on the directives of the Governor and the Chief Secretary. “Few days back the State High Court, while dealing with a Public Interest Litigation, had categorically stated that on the pretext of elections the official machinery should not stop performing its basic duties and retrieval of encroached land falls in that category”, they added.
“If elections are an excuse then anti-encroachment drive will remain non-priority till middle of next year as at present arrangements are being made for Panchayat elections and thereafter focus will shift to Parliamentary elections which are due early next year”, sources further said.
Moreover, the Government has yet not formulated any policy vis-a-vis proper protection and use of the land retrieved from the encroachers so far or to be retrieved in future, they informed.
“Unless some mechanism is devised proper protection of retrieved land from the encroachers would not be possible”, they said and stressed that while huge chunk of retrieved land shall be properly fenced for the developmental projects, the small patches shall be utilized for public facilities.
“In urban areas of the State, the retrieved land can be put to use for development of green spaces while as in rural parts the same can be utilized for agriculture, horticulture, floriculture etc”, sources suggested, adding “the Governor’s administration is required to not only gear up the anti-encroachment drive but also lay focus on retrieved land’s use to prevent encroachments in future”.
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