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| Babus, netas grab prized forest land in Pahalgam | | Will soon act against land mafia, says Forest Minister | | Saahil Suhail
Early Times Report
Pahalgam, June 15: Taking advantage of militancy in Kashmir, the influential people in league with Revenue and Forest officials have over the years managed to grab hundreds of kanals of forest land in this famed tourist destination. Sources told Early Times that at least 227 structures including huts and hotels were also raised illegally in the ecologically fragile area. "Powerful babus and people with strong political links grabbed forest and wildlife land with the active support of Revenue officials," the sources said.
The successive governments, however, failed to initiate action against these land grabbers and violators. "Now when the PDP-BJP collation government has started removing encroachments in Jammu division, people of Pahalgam are demanding same action against influential land grabbers and violators," said the sources.
"Forest Minister's initiative to remove encroachments is being criticized because he has started the drive in some areas of Jammu only. If he is serious with the drive he must launch a similar campaign in other areas of the state including Pahalgam," social activist, Mushtaq Pahalgami told Early Times.
He said the encroachment of forest land in the famed tourist resort would not have been possible without the support from Revenue and Forest officials.
"Revenue officials are now tempering with the records to help the land mafia," said Pahalgami, referring to the settlement records.
For example, the records show 43 kanals and 19 maralas under Khasra number 169, "but now after making fraud entries officials have issued documents for more than 75 kanals under the same Khasra number," Pahalgami said.
Imtiyaz Ahmad, a Kashmir University student, said that issue of land grabbing was a challenge for the Forest Minister who belongs to the BJP. "Let's see what happens in Shopian and Pahalgam where influential including ministers have grabbed forest land," he said.
An official in the Forest department at Anantnag revealed that in Master Plan of 2006, the C-16 Zone of Mammal Wildlife sanctuary was put under permissible zone. He said the influential people not only grabbed forest and wildlife land in Pahalgam but also chopped off tress and used the timber to construct illegal structures.
He also revealed that land has been also encroached in D-1, D-2, D-3 and D-4 zones of Khilan up to the Langni bridge. Official said that Pahalgam's former town planner and his brother Dr Javid Mir, who owns a nursing home in Srinagar, grabbed land at Gogran-Batkoot and raised structures. Land has also been grabbed in Mamam Shikargah of Aru wildlife sanctuary, Meeran-Pattar and Aathnadan areas of Pahalgam.
In the Aru Wildlife zone, locals said that hundreds of kanal of land have been encroached upon by many influential people with the tacit support of Wildlife, Revenue and Pahalgam Development Authority officials.
"At Aru, you will see many big patches of land in the wildlife zone have been encroached upon by many influential people. The Wildlife officials never mustered courage to remove theses encroachments," a local village leader said.
Divisional Forest officer Humayun Kabir confirmed to Early Times that some influential people grabbed the land and raised 227 structures illegally.
"Yes, it is fact. We have served them notice twice in the last few years and in the coming month they will be served on final notice," Kabir said. He however said that he hasn't received any communication from the Forest minister to remove these encroachments.
Forest Minister Bali Baghat when contacted assured swift action. "Since now you brought this issue into my notice I will seek a report from the concerned DFO and will direct him to go far the demolition drive if they have already demarcated the grabbed land and structures," he said.
When asked why the department hasn't launched the anti-encroachment drive in Kashmir division on the same space it has been launched in Jammu, he said, "This drive isn't only for Jammu, it is for whole state and let me assure you that in coming days our action against the land mafia will be visible." |
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