Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, Feb 25: In sheer violation of State High Court, the district authorities have failed to check construction on Government land at village Ajot near Poonch here.
Official sources said that despite order issued by the J&K High Court regarding eviction of encroachments on State land/ Kahcharai and Forest land ( Vide order No WPPIL NO 19/2016 and MP 10/2016, Dated 28/12/2016), the local District authorities have failed to implement the orders. The land grabbers continued to raise illegal constructions and raised yet another Pucca structure on the State and Forest land on Poonch- Chakkan-da-Bagh road across the Betar river near Ajote.
One of the glaring examples was unearthed by the villagers in Ajote just 2 Km from Poonch city where a land grabber has not only grabbed the land but also constructed a Pacca house that too, with the connivance of some Forest and Revenue officials.
A local resident of the area in a complaint lodged to the State Governor and the Forest Minister recently alleged that two villagers namely, Mohd Yousaf and Mohd Rafiq of village Ajote
have grabbed near 25 Kanal Forest land bearing Khasra No 280, adjoining to their houses. On the complaint the Chief Conservator of Forests, S&D/ Link officer vide his order No.
PCCF/Complaint/ F.No.550/ 220-21 dated 27/3/2016 had directed to Chief Conservator of Forests Jammu to conduct an enquiry and submit factual report to his office so that the same could be submitted to the Governor’s Secretariat .
On the basis of enquiry, the Range Forest Officer Poonch (Haveli) vide his letter No 279 dated 29/07/2016 had written to the Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Poonch to cancel the illegal Girdawari on Forest land in Compartment 186/H Khasra No 280 in Village Ajote.
In the letter, the Range Forest officer has mentioned that Mohd Yousaf and Mohd Rafiq have illegally encroached upon Forest land in Compartment No. 186/H Khasra No 280 in Village Ajote.
“This is a clear violation of J&K Forest Act, J&K Forest Conservation Act and also order of the High Court” the letter reads.
The Range Officer in his letter has also mentioned that on the basis on report submitted by the Patwari concerned that the land belongs to the Forest Department and has been illegally occupied by the above said locals who have also managed to make entry into the Revenue record. The Range Forest Officer in his letter has requested the Assistant Commissioner Revenue Mohd Ashraf to cancel the entries made in the Revenue record.
On the basis of the enquiry conducted by the Forest officials and the report submitted by the Patwari and Naib Tehsildar concerned, the AC Revenue Poonch vide his letter No DCP/SQ/634 dated 01/08/2016 directed to the Tehsildar Haveli for the cancellation of the Girdawari on the above said Forest land, there after the Tehsildar Haveli has issued orders for the cancellation of the Girdawari and submitted the report to the Forest department.
Despite the above facts the Forest and Revenue officials have not only failed to evict the land grabbers but failed to disallow them to construct a new house on the said land.
On being contacted, the Divisional Officer Poonch Mohd Anwar Shah said, “My team has already stopped the construction work and if the land grabbers taking the advantage of holyday on Shivratri managed to construct house, necessary action would be taken against the land grabbers and we will not hesitate to demolish the constructed structure.”
The Range Forest Officer, Haveli/ Mendhar, Azmat Hussain held some Revenue department officials responsible for making illegal and fake Girdawaris in the Revenue record and creating problem for the Forest department.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel