news details |
|
|
| Bhatindi graveyard shrinks; shops, houses come up on encroached "land of dead" | | Courtesy: Auqaf Islamia | | Bharat Bhushan
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 13: The graveyard at Bhatindi has shrunk from nearly 58 kanals to 20 kanals or so. Rest of the land, ie about 38 kanals, which primarily and principally is meant for the burial of the dead, is now in the unlawful possession of a few locals, termed as politically well-connected by Bhatindi residents. Shops, other business concerns and houses have come up on the allegedly encroached land. Courtesy: Auqaf Islamia, Jammu.
Not only the graveyard land but a large chunk of the forest land too stands allegedly encroached in this once dusty village. Woods have been cleared and concrete jungle has come up everywhere. And, all this has not happened overnight. Where was the J&K Forest Department when its land was being cleared and grabbed? Why it kept its eyes closed to the mass cutting of trees? The successive J&K Governments seem to have deliberately ignored this issue as they might have felt that any action against the encroachers, whose number has now swelled to hundreds, would in turn badly affect their vote-bank but the administration's such an irresponsible approach is definitely going to weaken, if not ruin, the democratic institutions in the State.
Locals alleged that those, who had grabbed the forest and the graveyard land at Bhatindi, "are rich and influential", and emphasised the need for engaging a Central Investigating agency to expose them and free the State land from their illegal occupation.
"We don't have any faith in the State Government agencies as majority of them do not have a proven track record and often operate under the influence of their political masters. Had it not been so, the concrete jungle won't have come up on the forest land and business establishments won't have been allowed to flourish on the graveyard land?" they felt.
Haj and Auqaf Minister AR Veeri said though he was not aware of the matter, encroachers of the graveyard land would not be allowed to go scot free. "I will get details from the officials concerned tomorrow. Let me tell you that if there turns out to be any encroachment of the graveyard land at Bhatindi, action under law will be taken against whosoever is found involved," he asserted.
Auqaf Islamia administrator, Jammu, Wasim Raja Khan was, however, forthright in admitting that a portion of the Bhatindi graveyard had been encroached by a few locals.
Asked if his department was aware of the illegal construction activities, that were at present in progress on the encroached Bhatindi graveyard land, he replied in the affirmative.
Wasim admitted that Bhatindi's ex-sarpanch Noor Alam and some other people were running their business activities from a portion of the graveyard land that "stands encroached by them". "Whenever it comes to our notice that they have started some new construction on the encroached land, we forthwith lodge a complaint against them with police. They stop construction after the police intervention but restart it after 2-3 days," he said.
"The graveyard consists of roughly 58 kanals. We have already taken up the matter with the revenue authorities, and the Tehsildar concerned has given us the assurance to depute his men for the purpose of carrying out the work of demarcation. Once the whole of the graveyard land is identified, we will move forward legally to take its possession," Wasim said.
"We will also take the assistance of SSP and DIG, Jammu, in this regard," he asserted.
He said Noor Alam too possessed certain revenue papers of the land that was under his occupation.
Locals said the work on four shops was at present in progress on the encroached cemetery land but the Auqaf Islamia was yet to take any action. "We have repeatedly brought the matter to the notice of the authorities concerned but they had yet not taken any legal action against the alleged encroachers. This surprises us and forces us to think that the construction could have been going with the alleged connivance of some of them," they added.
According to locals, there stand about 10 shops and a house on the allegedly encroached land while the construction on at least four other shops is in progress. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
