*Non-compliance to invite adverse remarks in ACRs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 22: In a major step, the administration has initiated the process of preparing dossiers of habitual land grabbers for booking them under the Public Safety Act (PSA) as their activities have reached crescendo and often creating law and order problems. Moreover, all the Tehsildars of Jammu district have been directed to prepare history sheets of the land grabbers on the analogy of practice being followed in Police Stations against habitual criminals.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that there is no end to the land grabbing incidents with complaints about this illegal activity are continuously pouring in from various parts of the Jammu district and the officers and officials of the Revenue Department are virtually feeling helpless in controlling this menace.
“This is mainly because the existing revenue laws have failed to ensure deterrence for not being very harsh and the land-mafia is taking undue advantage of this by fearlessly grabbing Revenue and Forest land”, sources further said while disclosing that huge chunk of Revenue and Forest land is either under the illegal occupation of the mafia or has been sold to the gullible persons after obtaining huge money from them.
Stating that numerous instances have recently come to the notice of the district administration whereby either Forest Department or Revenue Department land has been sold by land mafia by projecting as private land, sources said, “even the family of a civil servant has been cheated by the land mafia in the recent past”, adding “the family of this officer has been sold Forest Department land by projecting the same as private land at a huge cost”.
However, when the officer got the record verified he came to know that the land given to his family was actually a Forest land and subsequently they approached the seller, who flatly refused to return the money. This indicates that there is no fear of law among the land grabbers majority of whom are even enjoying backing of influential persons.
On the basis of several instances, the Jammu district administration has asked the Police, Revenue and Forest Departments to jointly prepare dossiers of habitual land grabbers and furnish the details to the administration, which has made up the mind to book them under the Public Safety Act, sources informed.
“These three departments have also been asked to ensure proper coordination in gathering information and preparing dossiers so that no legal lacuna is left and PSA is slapped on the land grabbers”, sources further said while disclosing that information with regard to several land grabbers has already been furnished by these three departments to the district administration for necessary action, which is likely within next few days.
Moreover, the administration has initiated the process for preparation of history sheets of the land grabbers and necessary directions in this regard have been issued to all the Tehsildars.
According to an order issued by the Deputy Commissioner Jammu, the copy of which has been obtained by EXCELSIOR from one of the Tehsildars, all the heads of the Tehsils have been explicitly told to identify five to ten notorious land grabbers on the basis of quantum of land encroached by them in their respective areas.
They have also been asked to prepare history sheets of such land grabbers on the analogy of the practice being followed in the Police Stations against habitual criminals bringing out the details of the land held by them along with the quantum of land and the period of such encroachment as reflected by the entries in Register Khasra Girdawari.
“The details of the encroachment of the village common lands and the State lands need to be reflected separately”, reads the order of Deputy Commissioner. All the Tehsildars have been asked to furnish this information by or before August 5, 2016 positively. In order to ensure that there is no slackness in ensuring compliance of these directives, it has been made clear to the Tehsildars that prompt action in this connection shall be seen as one of the criteria while writing Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) for the current year.
When contacted, several Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) of Jammu confirmed that Tehsildars have been asked to prepare history-sheets of the land grabbers in their respective areas. “We have been told to ensure necessary compliance in our respective areas”, they added.
It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti while chairing the meeting of Deputy Commissioners in the recent past had directed for initiating action against powerful land grabbers.
Even Financial Commissioner (Revenue) vide Communication No. FCR/PS/DCC/6-18 dated April 5, 2016 had desired that an action plan should be prepared by each Tehsildar to vacate the encroached State land.
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