Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 15: In a step that will lead to expeditious investigation into the multi-crore Roshni land scam in the State, Government has directed all the Deputy Commissioners to extend full cooperation to the State Vigilance Organization by furnishing necessary record. Moreover, the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Revenue Department is going to fix tomorrow a calendar for disposal of pending complaints/ enquiries.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that keeping in view the concern expressed by the State Vigilance Commission regarding ‘non-cooperation’ by the revenue officers at the district level vis-à-vis furnishing of records required for scrutiny in the ongoing probe into Roshni land scam, all the Deputy Commissioners have been issued explicit directions to ensure that record is made available without any delay.
Secretary Revenue, Vinod Koul, who was asked by the State Vigilance Commission to ensure that the concern of State Vigilance Organization is addressed promptly, has formally directed all the Deputy Commissioners to submit necessary record to Special Investigation Teams (SITs) constituted to probe Roshni scam after preparing inventory of such files so that probe is conducted and concluded smoothly and in a transparent manner.
It is pertinent to mention here that Director Vigilance Organization, Sheikh Owais Ahmad had informed the Vigilance Commission that the Vigilance officers were facing certain difficulties while getting the records, which result in avoidable delay in concluding the investigations. Not only SVC even the State High Court had a number of times expressed concern over revenue officers not extending cooperation to SITs in investigation.
“Now, it is hoped that ongoing probe into Roshni scam would get necessary push and concluded in time bound manner”, sources said.
They disclosed that enquiries/complaints pending with the revenue authorities at district level during the past quite long time would also get expedited as desired by the Governor N N Vohra and State Vigilance Commission as Chief Vigilance Officer of the Revenue Department is going to fix calendar in this regard tomorrow.
The Chief Vigilance Officer, who is also Additional Secretary in the Revenue Department, has called the meeting of all District Vigilance Officers, who happen to be Additional District Development Commissioners, of Jammu Province and Vigilance Officers in the offices of Divisional Commissioner and Custodian in this regard. Similar meeting of DVOs and VOs of Kashmir Province would be convened later.
During the meeting schedule for disposal of pending complaints and enquiries after their proper segregation would be worked out, sources said while disclosing that all the 1500 pending complaints/enquiries forwarded to the Deputy Commissioners don’t pertain to the Revenue Department as such their separation is imperative so that complaints pertaining to other departments could be referred to concerned authorities.
Moreover, segregation is also necessary as some complaints may pertain to revenue courts and require to be forwarded to concerned Magistrates for disposal, they said, adding while doing so concerned revenue courts would also be conveyed the concern of Governor as well as State Vigilance Commission.
About the SVC directions vis-à-vis eviction of those persons whom land was allotted under Roshni Scheme but they failed to deposit the requisite money within stipulated time, sources said, “retrieval of land has to be reviewed on case to case basis as possibility of several applicants having gone to appeals in the courts of law cannot be ruled out”.
However, directions would shortly be issued to the Deputy Commissioners to go through around 70,000 cases pending for disposal at different stages so that necessary action as per the provisions of J&K State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act is taken.
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