The issue of illegal encroachment of Government land by influential persons has been hanging fire in our courts since a long time. Many persons with political clout or money power have succeeded in grabbing State land and then raising structures over it illegally. About 200 structures are reported to have come up on Mehfooz Kahcharai meaning Protected Pasture (State) land at Barthana Parimpora close to the city of Srinagar. Two illegal residential colonies have come up on this kahcharai and named as Firdousabad and Mustafabad accounting for about 350 households. The State agencies never cared to stop the coming up of the colonies on illegally occupied land nor did it file FIR against anybody arguing that it would create law and order situation. It is strange logic. Law and order is precisely what is the primary function of the State. And if the State cannot maintain law and order it fails to qualify for remaining in power.The reality is not of law and order but something else. There is a nexus of sorts between the land grabbers and the Government functionaries be it the Revenue Department, Municipal Corporation or the Police Department. These are the agencies that are supposed to keep an eye on what is happening in the constructional area and have to take an action. How can we believe in the pretext of law and order when we know that no Government agency has filed an FIR against anybody.
Now, the Division Bench of the State High Court reacting to a PIL has ordered that all these encroachments are to be vacated and all illegal structures are to be razed to ground. People will hail this order of the High Court because it puts an end to the activities of land grabbing mafia and at the same time saves the city from ugly and unplanned colonies coming up. The most surprising thing in this episode is that the Government maintained complete silence till the structures came up. Are the State functionaries and the land grabbers continuing the mafia -like activities in tandem? This is a million dollar question.
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