Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 7: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has sought details from the Local Military Authority (LMA) on the Army’s land encroached upon at different places in Jammu and Kashmir during the militancy period when the troops were busy in tackling infiltration from the Line of Control (LoC) and militancy in the hinterland.
According to official sources, the land mafia, which is very active in Jammu, didn’t spare even the Army land at many places and “in connivance” with lower level Revenue authorities, had removed the Army pillars and grabbed the land. The task has mostly been executed by the civilians, they said.
“The MoD has asked the Local Military Authority to carry out inspections of the holding (of the land) from their department and verification of the boundary pillars. If the pillars are found damaged or missing, they would bring it to the notice of the local officers of the Military Engineering Services (MES) immediately, who will carry out necessary repairs at the expenses of the concerned department,” official sources told the Excelsior.
Similarly, according to the sources, it would be duty of the Defence Estates Officer (DEO) to bring to the notice of the local officer of the Military Engineering Services the fact about the damage and missing of the pillars from the Army land when they inspect the land under their management.
Asserting that most of encroachments on the Army land had taken place during the period of militancy when some Army units had moved to the LoC to control infiltration and check militancy in the hinterland, sources said the MoD has taken serious note of the land encroachments and would go strict on them.
According to estimates, 730 acres of defence land has been encroached upon in Jammu and Kashmir, which was huge and Army can’t afford to let such a major chunk of land to go in the hands of grabbers.
Apart from getting the encroached land vacated, the MoD has also directed the authorities to ensure that there were no further encroachments on the Army land. They have directed the concerned authorities to take all possible measures to protect defence land from the grabbers.
The land mafia with the help of State Revenue authorities, in some cases, removed Army pillars and grabbed the land. The task was executed mostly by civilians, sources said.
Sources said the Army has also started digitization of the defence land and tally it with the State land Revenue authorities with a view to retrieve the encroached land and prevent further encroachments.
“The computerization of land records contained in General Lands Register (GLR) and Military Lands Register (MLR), maintained by Defence Estate Officers (DEO) and Cantonment Boards, has already been completed,” they added.
According to sources, the Director General of Defence Estates is implementing a project for indexing, scanning and digitization of land records contained in files of DEOs and Cantonment Boards.
The Ministry of Defence, according to sources, has also sought Action Taken Report (ATR) from the LMAs with respect to the boundary pillars, which have been replaced/restored on the defence land.
As per the Army Cantonment Rule 1944, the local officers of the department concerned or the Defence Estates Officer, where the land has been placed under his management will also be held responsible for the detection and prevention of any attempts to encroach upon the boundaries of their holdings either by private persons or by others, but even where the land has not been entrusted to his management, the Defence Estates Officer should also consider it his duty to bring to notice any such encroachments or attempts to encroach as he may observe if in the course of his duties he has occasion to visit these lands.
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