Avinash Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 14: Notorious land mafia, assisted by their tout revenue officials and police have misused the extended weekend to encroach upon prime state land in Chowadi, in the outskirts of the city, by illegal construction of a shopping complex that continued 24x7, while police and revenue officials pretended to be in deep sleep.
Interestingly, those responsible for the encroachment are already booked by the State vigilance organization for similar offenses.
According to documents available with Early Times, land where shops are being constructed in Chowdi area is state-land and State Vigilance Organization has registered a case against land grabbers and revenue officials, for facilitating encroachment on state land in village Chowadi, Tehsil Bahu.
"A case at Police Station VOJ, under section 5(1) (d) read with 5 (2) J&K PC Act Svt. 2006 and sections 120-B 420, 468 and 471 RPC stands registered against Patwari, Girdawar (revenue officials) and land grabbers", documents available with ET read.
"Tehsildar Bahu, on October 6, 2015 through a communiqué informed Deputy Commissioner Jammu that the state land in Chowadi area has been encroached by the land mafia", the documents further revealed.
According to sources the mafia with connivance of local police and revenue officials started construction of shops in said area on Friday. "The construction works continue even in night also", sources said, and added that the matter was brought into Police Control Room, but all in the vain.
"Previous night at about 10p.m. the locals informed PCR telephonically about the illegal construction on state land, but works continued entire night", said locals.
They said that they kept repeatedly called PCR about the construction till 11p.m. "PCR only assured us to take action, but nothing happened", said the residents.
They further said that kingpin (Patwari) who facilitated encroachment was suspended by the Deputy Commissioner Jammu, but using patronage of land mafia, he managed to get reinstated. "The mafia successfully got him (Patwari) reinstated. It smells something fishy, that a bureaucrat who reinstated the Patwari, had been transferred, four days back from the competent chair", they added.
When contacted, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Dr Pawan Kotwal said that he was not aware about the incident, but assured appropriate action against the encroachers. |
