Several officials ‘hand-in-glove’ with property dealers
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 1: Diluting the efforts of utilizing land for housing purposes, around 1500 allottees of Jammu Development Authority (JDA) plots in Roop Nagar and Rajinder Nagar Housing Colonies have been blatantly violating the lease deed clause right under the nose of the concerned authorities and causing financial loss to the Authority’s exchequer.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that out of total 2538 plots of different sizes in the Roop Nagar Housing Colony, almost 50 per cent of the allotted plots are still lying vacant even more than one and half decade of the development of the colony on right side of Bantalab-Ambgarota road by the Jammu Development Authority.
Similarly, construction activities have yet to begin on more than 50 per cent of plots in Phase-I and II of the Rajinder Nagar Housing Colony at Bantalab, where a total of 729 plots of different sizes have been carved out solely with the purpose of utilizing land for housing purposes, sources informed.
“Such a large number of plots are remaining vacant in both the Housing Colonies of the Jammu Development Authority despite the fact that Clause 3 of the lease deed clearly states that plots should not remain vacant beyond a specified period”, sources said.
The Clause 3 of the lease deed signed between the JDA and allottees States: “The land shall be used solely and exclusively for the purpose of construction of residential houses and lessee shall effect thereon the building complete in all respects that too according to the plan and elevation approved by the lessor within four years from the date of execution of this deed failing which the lease will be terminable at the option of the lessor”.
It further States: “The lessor can also impose appropriate penalty at not less than Rs 1000 per month or part thereof if the plot remains un-constructed after the expiry of four years”.
“It is astonishing that despite having sufficient powers under the lease deed the authorities of the Jammu Development Authority allowed such a large number of plots to remain vacant for years together for obvious reasons”, sources said.
Responding to a question regarding reason behind majority of plots remaining vacant in violation of lease deed clause, they said, “the property dealers, who are hand-in-glove with several employees of the JDA, are responsible for this as majority of such vacant plots have either been purchased by the property dealers or original allotees have been convinced that such plots are gold mines for them and generate huge amount after some years”.
“Though the JDA has issued fresh notice to such allottees yet the same is unlikely to yield any positive result as long as property dealers are hand-in-glove with some employees of the JDA”, they said, adding “the apprehension vis-à-vis this exercise turning out to be futile is also based on the past experience when such notices and advisories of the JDA failed to make any change on ground”.
In response to another query, sources said, “if the JDA authorities check the blatant violation of lease deed clause without any biased approach, it can earn huge revenue in the shape of penalty and by conducting fresh auction after cancellation of existing lease deeds”.
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