Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, July 3: While Government is encouraging people to plant more and more trees through wider publicity and protect forests and environment, a senior J&K Police officer in connivance with a local politician have grabbed a large chunk of Government / Forest land by damaging green enclosure of Social Forestry wing of the State Forest department spread over an area of 300 kanals by breaching fencing using JCBs in Bajalta area near Jammu.
While this exercise of felling green trees and breaching fencing was going on for the last more than two months with the alleged connivance of some field staff members at Block level, but when the matter was raised by some locals of the area, the senior officials including DFO and Joint Director Social Forestry Jammu, they became active and rushed to the site to stop the work. The villagers revealed that during mid night three to four JCBs start operation and for the last one week the operation of land grabbing has been intensified.
Official sources told the Excelsior that this enclosure was raised by the Social Forestry wing during 1993-94 on Forest and State land in Bajalta area on Number Khasra 472 and 474. A thick forest enclosure was raised on nearly 300 kanal area of each enclosure. For the last few months, some land mafia men having eyes on this Government land, started damaging fencing and then trees in systematic manner. A large number of well grown green trees were felled in slow process under the nose of the concerned field staff.
But within last two weeks, they allegedly grabbed nearly 100 kanals of area causing loss to the green forest. They even constructed nearly 500 meters of Kucha road using JCB through the Forest Enclosure with the active connivance of insiders. The concerned Director and even the Joint Director Social Forestry failed to take action against their own staff for their connivance . They just shifted one Forester, just as an `eye-wash punishment’ for not intimating to the seniors and alleged connivance with some people of the area.
Giving moré details, the sources revealed that some private land and a portion of this Forest enclosure was sold by a local politician and his son to a senior police officer and another politician hailing from Kishtwar. Then, one Iqbal, a local resident of the area provided JCBs and other support and some policemen in civil were deployed there to supervise the operation. This went on for more than one week and a large chunk of area of Government land worth over Rs 150 crores was cleared and grabbed by the mafia men.
Director Social Forestry, J&K Ashwani Kumar Gupta when contacted said that the matter was reported to him by the DFO concerned and also Joint Director Social Forestry, Mr Raghav. ” I directed them to lodge an FIR and also stop the work there taking the help from Police authorities. There was old green enclosure of the Social Forestry Department at Bajalata on Jammu-Surinsar-Mansar Road. No one will be allowed to destroy the forest this way and grab Govt land,” he added.
Joint Director, Mr Raghav, however, claimed that they have stopped the work there and approached the concerned Police Station at Nagrota to lodge FIR against the accused persons about week back. He said at present the work has been stopped.
DFO, Social Forestry, Jammu, Neha Mehta, however, said that when the matter came to her notice she herself along with other staff and Forest Protection Force men went to the spot and asked the violators to stop work. She said they had received report that the land mafia people were carrying on their operation calendestinely during night hours. The people grabbing land claimed that this land belonged to them and were also claiming that they have Revenue papers with them. But even if they have any claim on land, there is procedure to project claim through SRO but this is no way to destroy green gold and grab land forcefully using JCB during night operations. They should come out openly to claim their right if they have any on that land.
The DFO said that she lodged a written complaint to the concerned police at Nagrota Thana but they have not lodged our FIR so far due to the reason best known to them. More than one week is over but there is no action from police side against the land grabbers and those who caused extensive damage to forest.
She claimed that they have now decided to approach court to lodge an FIR. The people behind this operation are said to be highly connected in political and other circles. She said that they have also written to the Deputy Commissioner Jammu for the demarcation of the land about week back and were waiting for a response from their side. The DFO said they have deployed FPF men and SF staff there and the work has been stopped. She admitted that fencing pillars have been broken and removed and a large chunk of land has been cleared by them.
SP Jammu Rural, Dushyant Sharma when contacted and conveyed about the negative role of SHO Nagrota for not entertaining FIR of the Forest officer, said that he had no knowledge about the matter. The SP said the Station House Officer is legally bound to register an FIR. He assured to hold an inquiry into the matter and take appropriate action in this regard.
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