Sir,
Land grabbing in Jammu and Kashmir has now become a daily ritual. The muscle men grab the land and become multi millionaires over night. The easy cake for these encroachers is the forest land, banks of the rivers, barren land, and ‘Nallas’ etc.
It is universally accepted that encroachments are not possible without active connivance of the concerned departments and Revenue Department in particular. The Revenue Department provides access to the encroachers and grabbers even by providing them the Revenue record, in order to facilitate this Land Mafia to further their nefarious designs.
We have seen so many bloody clashes whenever some officials attempted to get huge chunk of such land vacated. Sometimes it too has surfaced that such attacks on behalf of the encroachers and grabbers were even manufactured in collusion with the employees responsible to allow such encroachments. No action has ever been taken by the Government against any employee initially found responsible to facilitate encroachments. Whenever an emergency arises and action under Law is indispensable, an enquiry is set into motion as eyewash by the Govt. The outcome of such enquiries never sees the day.
We never find any case registered against the encroachers of Government Land under Section 447-A of the RPC and against their facilitators under ‘Abetment and Conspiracy’ Provisions of the Law, as this will immediately push such violators behind bar. The grave concern of the media, the fourth pillar of the democracy speaks of the gravity of this problem. It is right time to come down heavily on this land grabbers and save Government land from further falling prey to this unscrupulous element.
We hope that drive launched in the Jammu and Kashmir cities will also extend to other cities and villages. The Udhampur town deserves to be taken on priority as it is most affected city after Jammu. The alarming situation of this city can be gauged from the encroachment of even ‘Nallas’ just adjacent to District Hospital Udhampur. The mute attitude of the concerned civil authorities including that of Highway authorities is enough to conclude their patronage for the reasons best known to them.
Yours etc…
Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
Udhampur
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