*Plotting stopped, illegal nullah demolished
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 10: Tighte-ning noose around the land mafia enjoying the backing of politicians, the Jammu district administration has imposed complete ban on all sorts of activities on huge chunk of land in Chowadhi-Sunjwan area in the outskirts of winter capital city and constituted a special team for demarcation of entire land falling under 13 Khasra/ Survey numbers.
The intensity of encroaching upon forests and other protected lands in this particular belt can be gauged from the fact that the land mafia had even constructed own nullah by realigning the original course of the water body in order to become millionaires over night.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that on receiving specific information about illegal activities of some colonizers in Sunjwan-Chowadhi area of the Jammu outskirts with the patronage of some politicians, the Revenue Minister, Javed Mustafa Mir yesterday inspected the area falling between the ridge of Hill View Resort and the ridge of Chowadhi-Sunjwan boundary in Tehsil Bahu of Jammu district.
The Minister noticed massive constructions in the Valley falling between these two ridges, which mainly involve Khasra/Survey numbers 849, 851, 802, 803, 800, 858, 1441, 1442, 1445, 1451, 1452, 1464 and 1465 of village Sunjwan. The Minister on the spot issued directions to the Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Simran-deep Singh, who was accompanying him, to take strict action against the mafia and ensure that whosoever involved in large scale encroachment is punished under law.
On the directions of the Revenue Minister, the Deputy Commissioner today visited the site along with Sub-Divisional Magistrate South, Divisional Forest Officer Jammu, Tehsildar Bahu, SDPO East and other officers. He noticed massive earth cutting, excavation, re-alignment of nullahs and construction/plotting activities in these sites.
On enquiry, the Deputy Commissioner came to know that some colonizers, who are already facing enquiry for their illegal activities, were hell bent to encroach upon the forests and other protected lands in this particular belt in order to ensure early construction of structures so that it becomes difficult for the Government to remove the same at the later stage.
The DFO Jammu and Tehsildar Bahu informed the Deputy Commissioner that the area besides being private estate developed by a colonizer, also involves huge “forest land”, “Gair Mumkin Khad” and “Gair Mumkin Jarh” categories and types of land which cannot be converted as per statutory provisions and as per the orders of the High Court in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) titled Balbir Singh Versus State of Jammu and Kashmir, sources informed.
It was also reported to the Deputy Commissioner by the revenue authorities of Tehsil Bahu that the Aks-Latha Massavi (revenue map) of the entire area is lost as such it is not possible to distinguish between private estate, forest land and khad area, sources said, adding the colonizers were found encroaching upon the forests and other protected lands because of the confusion prevailing due to non-availability of revenue map.
“It is not understandable as to how private builders are able to locate their plots when revenue authorities do not have any revenue map to identify the land on spot”, sources wondered.
Keeping all these aspects in the mind and in order to safeguard the interests of forests and water bodies, the Jammu district administration has found it imperative to have clear cut demarcation of the entire land falling in 13 Khasra/Survey numbers.
In terms of powers vested in him under J&K Land Revenue Act, the Deputy Commissioner Jammu has constituted a special demarcation team, which has been directed to conduct demarcation of the entire land in order to specifically delineate the lands belonging to forest, Khad, Jarh and other such categories.
The team comprising of Tahir Firdous, Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Jammu, Sanjay Badyal, Tehsildar Kharah Balli, Rashid Mohd, Naib Tehsildar Jhajjar Kotli, Baldev Raj, GQ Muthi and Patwari Halqa concerned has been directed to complete the exercise by or before February 28, 2016. Regional Director, Settlement and Land Records and Divisional Forest Officer Jammu have also been asked to provide complete assistance to the demarcation team.
In the meantime, the administration has imposed complete ban on all kinds of land use activities or change of land use till the demarcation is completed, sources said while disclosing that on the directions of the Deputy Commissioner, the revenue authorities with the assistance of police today stopped all construction, plotting, excavation and earth cutting activities in the entire area.
Moreover, the nullah constructed by the mafia by changing the original alignment of the water body was also damaged so as to ensure that encroachment doesn’t create any problem during heavy rains, sources informed, adding “it is unfortunate that despite facing enquiry the colonizers are hell bent to encroach the forests and other protected lands.
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