Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 29: The administration in Sopore area of Baramulla district today dispatched a team of officials to investigate allegations of selling 30 marlas of state-owned land to a private landowner in the Haigam village of Hanjipora area by the local Wildlife Department officials.
A group of officials was sent to look into the allegation that a former Wildlife Department official had used the land to build an illegal 30-kanal approach road for a local land owner with the help of range and block officers and a local broker.
“With the help of a local broker, the Range officer and Block officer involved in this issue have been dealing with the matter, either directly or indirectly,” a local said. He added that the sale was done with the intention of building an unapproved approach road. “One of the buyers is a retired wildlife department employee,” a local said.
To further complicate matters, there are claims that a sum of Rs. 1.50 lakh was exchanged in this purported land-grabbing case as a token of goodwill. “A substantial sum of money, amounting to 1.50 lakh, has been collected as a goodwill gesture in this land-grabbing case,” according to a local privy with the information.
Furthermore, there is an ongoing legal battle between the Wildlife Department and the public over a land dispute that dates back to 2017. “The department and the public have been involved in an ongoing land dispute in court since 2017,” locals said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore, Shabir Ahmad Raina said that initial evaluations indicate the disputed road is a common road. He, however, underlined that a team, comprising the concerned tehsildar, had been dispatched to corroborate the claims.
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