Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Nov 17: While the Department of J&K Social Welfare is spending over Rs 4 lakh per month as rent of the private buildings being used as five main offices in Jammu city, its own 17 kanals of prime land worth crores located in Talab Tillo (Nawabad) area has been encroached upon by some people and School Education department.
Sources in the SWD told the Excelsior that senior officials in the department woke up from the deep slumber, hardly few months back when the pressure of shifting office of Director Social Welfare Jammu and four other offices from Working Women’s Hostel at Roop Nagar to some other location was mounted on the director from the Administrative department. From the scrutiny of its own record, the SWD officials after long lapse of over 48 years came to know that their own nearly 17 kanals of land at Nawabad area of Jammu is lying in the illegal occupation of few private parties and a Government run girls school.
Sources said that this land which has now been practically left as 13 kanal and 3 marla is lying under Khasra No. 281, 282 and 283. The record forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner Jammu for fresh demarcation indicated that the said land was purchased by the Department of Social Welfare from one Ram Nath Lakra and Romesh Lakra, under Halqa Patoli Brahmana, where Govt Girls Higher Secondary School, Nawabad near Gole Puli in Jammu is located. This land was purchased on 22-01-1966 for Rs 17,125 and the registry and `Inteqal’ was entered in the name of Director Social Welfare, Jammu.
“Actually this total land was 17 Kanal and as per the documents available with the department now, it has now been left only 13 kanal and 3 marla which belonged to SWD. Some of the portion of the land has been grabbed by the private parties. The Directorate of Social Welfare Jammu in its first letter No. DSWJ/ Estt/20819-22/14 dated 22-09-2014, forwarded to Deputy Commissioner Jammu requested for demarcation of the said land. The relevant revenue record has also been provided to the DC but there is no much progress and favourable response from the Revenue authorities despite a reminder,” the sources added.
The sources further disclosed that this land was actually purchased for raising Beggers’ Home by the Social Welfare department. A structure was also raised there by the department for the purpose and then it stopped functioning after few years. After some time, a portion of the land was covered by the School authorities and added as play ground. Some of the portion was grabbed by the private parties and the department officers kept sleeping over the matter. They woke up from deep slumber just recently after a lapse of over 48 years and started claiming their land. While, the department has recently initiated the process of preparing DPR for the construction of big building at the site by utilizing services of J&K Housing Board officials, taking possession of the said land is yet day dream for them.
Minister for Social Welfare and Forests, Bali Bhagat when contacted said that he has managed to get hundreds of kanals of Forest land vacated from the illegal encroachment of people and he would initiate an inquiry into the matter and get the SWD land vacated. He said that some process has been set in motion by the department in this regard and the SWD would certainly get back its land so that Directorate of Social Welfare, office of the Mission Director ICDS (J&K), Project Office (ICDS) Jammu, DSWO’s office and several other offices of CDPOs are housed in one complex there. This way the department would be able to save its funds being utilized for the rent of at least half a dozen offices functioning in private buildings in Jammu.
Director Social Welfare Jammu, Veer Ji Hangloo when contacted said that for getting Department land back from School Education Department the process has already been set in motion. He admitted that his predecessors in the department earlier did not take much pain in this exercise but now when the matter came to notice some initiative is being taken up to retrieve the land.
Replying to another question, the Director said that department is spending huge money as rent of the private buildings of Mission Director and Directorate of Social Welfare located in Gandhinagar area. PO’s (ICDS) office is also housed in private building besides several other offices of ICDS. He said the Government should provide the land which is now under the possession of School Education Department or some alternative land against it. This school has very less strength and moreover, large portion of this land piece is said to be lying vacant as play ground.
“We have also approached School Education Department and the State Revenue authorities to provide us our land. There was old Beggars Home at the site earlier and thereafter, this portion of land remained abandoned for long and later it was taken over by Education department,” Mr Hangloo added.
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