*Reclamation data doesn’t match with ground position
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 30: In view of snail’s pace eviction drive despite numerous directions of the High Court, the Government may take several decades to retrieve entire encroached State and Kahcharai land in the length and breadth of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, whatever land has been shown as reclaimed in the official data by the Revenue Department doesn’t match with the ground position mainly because the field functionaries of the department are hand-in-glove with the encroachers.
The Division Bench of State High Court, Jammu Wing in its order dated October 26, 2015 read with order dated May 6, 2015 passed in a Public Interest Litigation had directed the State to furnish a report regarding mechanism proposed to be evolved to remove encroachments and restore such a huge encroached land to its original status.
After adopting dilly-dallying approach in ensuring compliance to the High Court directives, the Divisional Commissioner Jammu vide Communication No.601/RA/ WPPIL-19/2011/719-31 dated November 17, 2015 issued detailed instructions to all the Deputy Commissioners regarding removal of encroachments on State/Kahcharai/Common land.
All the Deputy Commissioners were directed to frame district wise encroachment removal Action Plans and thereafter go ahead with the removal/eviction of all encroachments on State/ Kahcharai/Common land in a systematic and planned manner by forming Niabat-wise, Tehsil-wise and Sub-Division wise joint teams involving/requisitioning help of Police authorities as provided under Section 133 of Land Revenue Act, 1996.
“However, there is no strict compliance to these directives of the Divisional Commissioner despite lapse of more than one year and systematic and planned approach towards retrieval of land has remained confined to the official files”, official sources told EXCELSIOR while referring to the latest data of land encroachment, land evicted following HC directions and land yet to be evicted.
According to the latest data compiled in the office of the Divisional Commissioner, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR, there were encroachments on a total of 1090699 kanals of State land and 78436 kanals of Kahcharai land in the 10 districts of Jammu division at the time of issuance of directions by the High Court.
However, during the last one year encroachment has been removed from 49844 kanals of State land and 22175 kanals of Kahcharai land in the 10 districts of Jammu division and encroachments are still intact on 1049320 kanals of State land and 57601 kanals of Kahcharai land at present. “This is the testimony of snail’s pace eviction drive being carried out by the field functionaries of the Revenue Department despite numerous directions of the High Court”, sources said.
“Moreover, the data of retrieval of State and Kancharai land doesn’t match with the ground situation as in majority of the districts of Jammu division the retrieved land was again encroached upon by the unscrupulous elements either in connivance with the field functionaries of the Revenue Department or due to their slackness in ensuring proper watch and ward”, sources informed, adding “in this way the objective of the High Court directions and order of the Divisional Commissioner stands defeated”.
They disclosed that in many districts of Jammu division the Niabat-wise, Tehsil-wise and Sub-Division wise joint teams have not been performing the task assigned to them on the directions of the High Court. “Wherever these teams are performing task, only the easy targets are being focused while as big sharks are not being touched at all”, sources said.
“The office of the Divisional Commissioner is also not receiving the action taken reports on fortnightly basis as was directed in the communication dated November 17, 2015 addressed to all the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu division”, they pointed out, adding “if the present pace of land retrieval is allowed to continue the Government may take decades to evict encroachments from remaining 1049320 kanals of State land and 57601 kanals of Kahcharai land”.
“Not only the Divisional Commissioner even the Secretary to Government, Revenue Department had vide Order No.135-Rev of 2015 dated August 25, 2015 issued directions for eviction of un-authorized occupants from the State/Kahcharai land in a time bound manner”, sources said, adding “the field functionaries of the Revenue Department are also not taking this order seriously and retrieval of land is focused only when they get some time from their other activities or when there is fresh direction from the higher-ups”.
Follow our WhatsApp channel