Roshni biggest land scam in history of India: Anurag Thakur

Union MoS, Finance, Anurag Thakur, BJP general secretary, Dr DK Manyal and chief spokesperson of party Sunil Sethi at a press conference at Jammu on Tuesday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
Union MoS, Finance, Anurag Thakur, BJP general secretary, Dr DK Manyal and chief spokesperson of party Sunil Sethi at a press conference at Jammu on Tuesday. -Excelsior/Rakesh

‘Where are power projects to be constructed under scheme’

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 24: Terming Roshni scam as biggest land scam in history of India, Union MoS, Finance and election incharge J&K, Anurag Thakur questioned former Chief Minister and chairman Gupkar Alliance, Dr Farooq Abdullah and others as to what necessitated them to grab Government lands even after ruling J&K for three generations.

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Talking to reporters here, today along with BJP general secretary, Dr D K Manyal and chief spokesperson of party for J&K, Sunil Sethi, Thakur termed the Gupkar Alliance as a symbol of “self –interest scam and separatism’’.
Alleging that Roshni is the biggest land scam of the country, Thakur said “Dr Farooq Abdullah and others should explain to the people of India as to why they grabbed State lands and made laws to legalise occupancy while they served the erstwhile State for three generations’’.
“The NC leaders have encroached upon Government lands. The party’s Srinagar and Jammu offices have also come under the same schemes’’, Thakur alleged.
He said NC Headquarter Sher-e-Kashmir, Bhawan on Veer Marg Jammu and Srinagar and Dr Farooq Abdhullah’s house is built on encroached land, he said, adding the Roshni Act was modified at various times by Congress and PDP chief ministers and cut –off dates were extended many times to extend the list.
Thakur said three lakh forty two thousand kanals of land was grabbed by Gupkar Alliance members and their supporters. He asked who was responsible for this loot and will Gupkar Alliance come forward and tell the truth on this?
He said that the Gupkar Alliance is land grabbers gang. “ They are not Zamini Neta but Zamin par Kabja Karne wale neta’’. (The are not leaders linked to land but land grabbers), he added.
He said it was estimated that total revenue of Rs 25,000 crore will be collected under the Roshni scheme which will be utilized to fund hydropower projects. This was named as “Roshni-The J&K State lands Act 2001” for vesting of ownership to the occupants, which meant to give benefit to the persons who illegally occupied the Government and forest lands. But only 76 crore is collected against expected 25,000 crore. Where are the power projects, he asked?
Now, High Court has termed it to be illegal and non-Constitutional and asked to publish names of involved leaders, businessmen, bureaucrats, officers and every one whosoever is involved. In the list, big names like Farooq Abdullah, his relatives and party leaders have come out. “Was this scheme really to help the poor and generate money for Hydro-Power projects and if so where are the power projects?”, he asked.
Thakur added that If Article 370 was not abrogated and also PIL was not filed in the Court, this corruption was not investigated then this scam could have not been unearthed. Big names like former Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah and his sister, the then Chairman of J&K Bank, then top bureaucrats & officials, have all occupied the big lands illegally. They all never fought for the rights of the people of J&K but only for having undue favours to grab lands of Government and forests and to loot resources systematically, he added.
He said Sajjad Kitchloo, Sayeed Akhoon, Suraiya Matoo, Aslam Goni, Haseeb Drabu, his family all have been implicated in this case. Congress leaders were equally involved with NC, PDP and other members of Gupkar as its leaders like Majid Wani, K K Amla and others are involved in this scam. The real face of land grabbers Gupkar Alliance has come out, Anurag Thakur added.