* Minister admits official, land mafia nexus
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Feb 23: Over 400 kanals of State Government land worth over Rs 600 crore, located at prime location at Katra Mata Vaishnodevi in district Reasi, has been grabbed by some influential land-mafia men in connivance with some key Revenue and Agriculture Department officials.
The sensational disclosure was made by Congress member Jugal Kishore Sharma in the Upper House of the Legislature, which attracted the attention of the entire House today. While several members stressed that the case be referred to the Crime Branch of State Police for thorough investigation, exposing all those involved in the land grabbing including Government officials, majority of the members including Jugal Kishore strongly demanded constitution of a House Committee of Legislative Council Members to probe into the matter and recommend action against those involved.
The members, mostly from the ruling alliance, including Devender Singh Rana, Naresh Kumar Gupta, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Rafiq Shah and Ghulam Qadir Pardesi pleaded the Chairman Amrit Malhotra to announce a House Committee to probe the matter and submit report within given time frame. They also grilled the Minister of State for Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Husbandry Nazir Ahmed Khan Gurezi, who was responding to the volley of questions and subsequent supplimentaries of the members.
Realising the sensitivity of the issue and seriousness shown by all the members from the House of Elders, particularly from the ruling alliance, the Chairman pulled up the Government by maintaining casual approach to retrieve Government (Agriculture Deptt) land and announced to form House Committee which would go into the details and expose the unholy nexus and also name the officials or other persons involved in land encroachment at Katra. He also declared that the members would be announced shortly and panel would work within given time frame.
Jugal Kishore Sharma sought the details of the 476 kanals of Drug Research Farm of the State Agriculture Department at Katra in his main question. He also asked the Government to give details of the Government land lying under the illegal occupation of some people at Katra.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Nazir Gurezi disclosed that out this land, 75 kanals was under the possession of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board, where as the remaining was vacant at the site.
As the members contested and challenged that entire land had been grabbed by some influential persons in connivance with some Revenue and Agriculture officials and not even one kanal was lying with the Agriculture Department, the Minister admitted that they had written to the Deputy Commissioner Reasi to direct Revenue officials for demarcation of land in question but the Revenue officials were not cooperating. He also admitted on the Floor of the House that there may exist some nexus between the officials and some local land encroachers but they will take action as per law to clear the Government land.
The Chairman and even the members got surprised on the response and asked till now what was the Agriculture Department doing to get back its costly land back and why it was silent spectator so far ? What action was taken against the concerned officials of the department for their casual approach towards the issue of such serious nature? The Minister said they have written to DC Reasi several times and due to non-cooperation from the concerned Revenue officials, the matter of demarcation was delayed and could not be resolved.
Devender Rana pointed out that Minister concerned has honestly admitted in the House that land in question was not with the department at present, it was necessary to form House Committee to go into these details. It should be known that who were the people occupying it. The other members said that the matter is very serious and this is happening in many other areas, where Government land is being grabbed and officials were directly or indirectly helping land mafia for vested interests. Such officials are needed to be identified and put in the jails.
Jugal Kishore said what action was taken by department so far and who were the persons occupying this Government land and why department was sitting silent? He further claimed that it was prime land in the town and its cost was not less than one and half crore rupees per kanal.
Earlier, giving reply of the main question Gurezi said as per Girdawari and Jamband of 1968, of revenue village Kundrorian of tehsil and district Reasi, land measuring 453 kanals and 16 marlas situated in Khasra No. 11 min is recorded in favour of Drug Farm (CSIR). However, at present land recorded in favour of Drug Farm is 421 kanals and 15 marla which is vacant.
Mr Gurezi further claimed that out of the total area of 901 kanals and 5 marlas in Khasra No. 11, 15 kanals and 14 marlas in favour of PWD, 122 kanals and 15 marlas as Maqbooja Malqan (Shamlat) and 228 kanals and 12 marlas as Maqbooza Kabizan. Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board owns 112 kanals and 09 marlas of land but as per SMVDSB records, only 75 kanals and 18 marlas is under their possession. Agriculture Department has approached Revenue Department Reasi several times for proper demarcation of the land for its fencing. DC Reasi was also approached several times in this concern for ‘Nishandehi’ but due to non-cooperation on the part of Revenue officials, the land could not be taken over for fencing work, he added.
After being cornered from all sides and grilled immensely by the members in the House, the Minister claimed that an FIR would be lodged in this connection and the department was committed to get back its land and free it from the illegal encroachment at Katra. Jugal Kishore demanded that names of the occupants of land including officials be disclosed in the House but the Minister maintained that he had no such details. The Minister however, pleaded the Chairman to bound the House panel to submit its report within given time frame.
Follow our WhatsApp channel