news details |
|
|
| Parimpora bus stand converted into illegal colony for political workers | | |  Hyder Ali
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Apr 11: It's official now. The state government has illegally converted the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA)-owned bus stand at Parimpora here into a slum for "workers" of a political party.
The slum was strategically constructed in the aftermath of the September 2014 floods for "rehabilitation of some flood victims" of Batamaloo constituency while the constructions picked up in the first innings of the Peoples Democratic Party- Bharatiya Janta Party regime.
Though initially ten prefabricated houses were constructed there, subsequently scores of constructions came up haphazardly on the government property.
Developed at a cost of over Rs 50 crores the Parimpora bus stand is equipped with state-of-the-art lighting, bus bays and footpaths. But ahead of its commissioning, it has been converted into the illegal colony.
Officials said after the 2014 devastative floods when the Assembly elections were underway, an influential politician, having vote bank at stake in the area, allegedly corrupted some SDA officials who were that time in his good books to facilitate the illegal conversion of the bus stand into the residential colony of his supporters.
Sources said a middle-rung SDA official who facilitated the illegal takeover of the government facility was subsequently granted illegal promotion and more lucrative posting. But other SDA officials were "warned" to be silent. "Basically ahead of the illegal takeover of the government property and some other scams, he (politician) got some of the SDA employees booked on fake charges at Parimpora police station, when an FIR was registered… So no one from amongst us mustered courage to resist the wrongdoings," said a delegation of SDA employees asking not to be identified. Sources said the then administration was pressurized to facilitate construction of hutments at the bus stand through funding by NGOs. "Initially a very few prefabricated structures were raised but in the coming months scores of hutments came up, all haphazardly and as now it's a full-fledged colony," said an SDA official.
Sources said though huge chunk of government land was available in the vicinity the construction was taken up on the bus stand for vested interests. "This space was like concrete land with lighting facility and fencing so construction of hutments was easy here as it would come up like a well-planned colony," said a SDA official.
For the politician, it was like killing two birds with a stone. "He (politician) wanted to sabotage the shifting of the Batamlaoo bus stand to this place as it was against the interest of the voters in the area.
Through the construction of this colony he achieved both the targets because as of now the facility cannot cater to buses," the officials explained.
The slum dwellers denied being political workers but thanked the politician for having got them rehabilitated here after floods. This "scam" was being swept under the carpet. But things took a twist in the Governor's rule. Raj Bhawan sources said in January 2016, Governor NN Vohra sought audit of the SDA assets. This was when the official machinery feared to get trapped. Sources said the SDA officials instantly shot a letter to the District Development Commissioner Srinagar Farooq Ahmed Lone to get the space evacuated.
Finally on April 9, when Early Times exposed that the administration was dragging Srinagar towards worst-ever traffic chaos by not relocating the Batamaloo bus to Parimpora, the Divisional Commissioner Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon again woke up to the crisis.
"But right from the Divisional Commissioner to District Commissioner to the SDA VC, all have been helpless. The politician who supports the illegal colony is more powerful in the present regime. So we cannot do anything," the officials said, adding that Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, who is also the Housing Minister has been informed about the issue.
The Parimpora bus stand has taken a centre stage at a time when the government has decided to close down vehicular traffic on the arterial Jehangir Chowk Ram Bagh road.
The government decided to go for diversion of the traffic via Batamaloo-Mominabad road which connects to the Srinagar-Jammu highway. But enroute, the presence of Batamallo bus stand has been a major obstruction. When contacted a senior SDA official admitted that the Parimpora bus stand has been illegally converted into colony. "We have asked the DC to get the colony relocated without any further delay as we want our assets back," the official told Early Times. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
