Contentious issues lead to cancellation of JDA Board of Directors meeting

Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 27: The Board of Directors meeting of the Jammu Development Authority, which was scheduled to be held on July 22, that too after a long gap, had to be postponed at the last moment because of certain contentious issues which were managed to be incorporated in the agenda by a senior officer of the Housing and Urban Development Department on pressure from political quarters.
These controversial issues have once again brought to the fore politicians-bureaucrats-land mafia nexus at a time when several Public Interest Litigations (PIL) have already been pending on this grave issue in the Supreme Court and the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir.
Among the contentious issues were regularization of JDA land under the occupation of River Castle Apartment at Tawi Vihar, Sidhra, regularization of unauthorized colonies in various areas of Jammu and regularization of strips in Channi Rama area in blatant violation of the Government orders regarding disposal of commercial assets of JDA through open auction.
As per the rules governing the Jammu Development Authority, its Board of Directors are required to meet after regular intervals to take decision on the important issues that too strictly as per the rule book. However, these rules are being thrown to the winds by those at the helm of affairs in the Housing and Urban Development Department. After a long hiatus of 2 years, the meeting was scheduled to be held in Srinagar on July 22, 2014.
This can be gauged from the fact that last Board of Directors meeting of the JDA was held on April 26, 2012 when Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand was holding the portfolio of Housing and Urban Development Department. Thereafter, there was no focus on holding Board of Directors meeting despite the fact that even minutes of 72nd and 73rd meeting were required to be confirmed in the 74th meeting.
After a gap of more than two years, the present Minister for Housing and Urban Development Department, Nawang Rigzin Jora issued orders for convening JDA Board of Directors meeting on July 22 at Srinagar. However, hours before its scheduled timing, the meeting was cancelled because of some contentious issues, which were managed to be incorporated in the agenda, in order to confer undue benefits upon some persons, reliable sources in the Housing and Urban Development Department told EXCELSIOR.
Since the agenda prepared by JDA did not favourably push/ support these contentious issues, it was considered best to cancel the meeting in order to avoid taking a politically unpopular decision especially when elections are round the corner.
A copy of the agenda note which the EXCELSIOR obtained from reliable sources in the Civil Secretariat mentions that J&K Housing Corporation Limited is constructing River Castle Apartments at Tawi Vihar, Sidhra and during the course of construction activities, it came to fore through a complaint that a portion of the apartments was being constructed on JDA land. Accordingly, Managing Director of the Corporation was directed to immediately stop the construction of apartments.
In a representation to the JDA, the MD of the River Castle Apartments has sought to provide their adjoining private land to the extent the projects covers the JDA land or in the alternative deposit the price of the JDA land, which came under their project, at the rate prevalent in the year 2008 for un-irrigated land fixed by the competent authority for the purpose of stamp duty.
As the land proposed by the Cooperative Housing Corporation was not at par when compared to the land of JDA covered by them, the JDA worked out the cost of seven kanals and five marlas of land at Rs 5.80 crore—-at the rate of Rs 80 lakh per kanal as per the market rate or Rs 5.07 crore—at the rate of Rs 70 lakh per kanal as per the notified rate of collector.
“As Housing and Urban Development Department wanted to regularize the JDA land at throw away price, this issue became contentious”, sources said, adding “it is a matter of serious concern that despite the judgments of the Supreme Court and High Court that continuous possession even by way of construction of houses doesn’t confer right of ownership on such encroached upon land, the Housing and Urban Development Department is ready to regularize land in the favour of J&K Housing Corporation Ltd at throw away price”.
The regularization of unauthorized colonies in different parts of Jammu that too at a throw away price was also one of the contentious issues, sources said, adding “there was difference of opinion on this issue among two Cabinet Ministers with one in the favour of regularization of colonies at nominal charges and another wanting Cabinet to take a policy decision in this regard”.
However, in the absence of any consensus, this contentious issue also played important role in the cancellation of Board of Directors meeting that too at the last moment.
The proposal regarding regularization of three strips measuring 10550.5 sft in Khasra No. 384 (old) 1/7 (new) in Channi Rama area in the favour of one person was also a contentious issue as report of the field officers of the JDA was not in consonance with the plan, which had the blessings of the politicians and senior functionaries of the Housing and Urban Development Department.
“The field officers of the JDA had in their report mentioned that while two strips have no proper approach and cannot be used independently, the third one was abutting main road and can be utilized by the JDA if the existing encroachment is removed”, sources said, adding “moreover, as per the Government Order No.192-HUD/GR of 1991 dated September 12, 1991 all the commercial assets of JDA are required to be disposed off through open auction”.
According to the sources, a senior officer of H&UDD tried to mislead the Minister on these contentious issues and never projected the correct picture despite the fact that JDA was not in the favour of these issues getting mentioned in the agenda.