Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 9: In the much publicized Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking demarcation of 65000 kanals of land in Jammu and Samba districts, Jammu Development Authority (JDA) and Revenue Department today filed contradictory status reports in pursuance to the order dated September 13, 2017 passed by the Division Bench of the State High Court.
The matter was listed today before the Division Bench comprising Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar and Justice Sanjay Kumar Gupta. However, in view of the paucity of time, the DB directed the Registry to list the PIL in the week commencing November 7, 2017 for consideration.
Earlier, Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocates Rahul Raina, Suraj Singh and Supriya Chouhan appearing for the PIL submitted that both JDA and Revenue Department are at loggerheads and are shifting buck and in this way the demarcation will not be completed as per the time schedule fixed by the Division Bench.
In the status report filed by JDA through Advocate Adarsh Sharma it has been submitted that the JDA in compliance to the last order passed by the Division Bench took up the matter with the Divisional Commissioner Jammu and IGP Jammu vide Letter No. VC/PS/2017/968-77 Dated September 15, 2017 apprising the Divisional Commissioner Jammu that the schedule fixed for demarcation has not been adhered by the Revenue Department.
Even on 15.09.2017 the JDA officials remained waiting for the Revenue / Police Department in both the districts of Jammu and Samba but they have not got the teams for carrying out the demarcation. It was further intimated to the Divisional Commissioner and IGP that matter of demarcation was over delayed due to non compliance of the High Court order by the Revenue and Police Department, the report said, adding JDA officers were not provided police protection by deploying PSOs for which request had been made to the IGP.
It has also been mentioned in the status report that the progress of demarcation was far behind the schedule due to non availability of revenue staff on the scheduled date and time for one reason or the other. It has been divulged that besides demarcating 4148 kanals and 05 marlas of JDA land, the fencing work of 1368 kanals and 03 marlas of JDA land has also been done in addition to 1566 kanals and 12 marlas of land already stated in the status report filed on 13.09.2017.
Deputy AG Ehsan Mirza also filed status report on behalf of Deputy Commissioner Jammu mentioning that due to pre-occupation of the revenue field staff a tentative schedule for the demarcation of JDA land has been formulated from 15.10.2017 to 03.12.2017.
Senior AAG Seema Khajooria Shekhar appeared for General Administration Department and Deputy AG Raman Sharma appeared for State Vigilance Organization.
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