Illegal activity goes on under JDA officials’ nose
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 29: While the Modi Government is stressing upon the citizens of the country to grow more and more trees to protect our environment, but in the Roopnagar locality of the Jammu North, `some people’ by damaging the decades old green strip along the main road are raising illegal `Khokhas’.
This illegal activity is allegedly going on under the nose of the Revenue, Khilafwarzi and the field supervisory staff of the Jammu Development Authority, just adjoining the newly constructed Gate of the Aap Shambhu Mandir Road.
Though many VIPs, several officers from the District and Sub Divisional Administration besides officials of JDA pass through that road but perhaps they avoided to take cognizance of the matter. The greenery of this thick green strip, giving fresh oxygen and shadow to the people during these hot summer days, is being damaged in a planned manner and slowly by damaging trees.
During first step, the fencing raised by the JDA was removed slowly and then some trees were damaged, made to get dry using acid or other means and then felled, making space for `Khokhas’. Some residents of the locality said that they opposed this move and informed concerned JDA officials but they remained inactive. Even the JDA space around Peepal tree has been grabbed for open Dhaba and a nursery has been raised. It indicates that some JDA officials are hand in glove with the land grabbers or beneficiaries in this illegal activity.
One of the local residents said, when there is any genuine or any type of construction activity, JDA officials reached immediately for stopping work and get `illegal share’, but surprisingly these Khokhas and Reharies with in 100 mtr area of this newly constructed JDA gate that too, on the main road, has remained out of the sight of JDA Khilafwarzi staff and the senior officials of Sub Divisional Administration of Jammu North.
The residents of Sector- I of the Roop Nagar and adjoining areas have appealed to the VC JDA, Deputy Commissioner Jammu and Divisional Commissioner Jammu to intervene and protect this Green Strip, remove illegal Khokhas/Reharies and order an inquiry, fixing responsibility on the concerned JDA staff and take action against them.
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