Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 24: Forum of Lease Holders and Occupants of Nazool/Govt lands has taken serious note of the latest move of the State Government purporting certain amendments in Roshni scheme which otherwise has proved an utter failure for the State Government on both counts of either retrieving huge State land more than 20 lakh kanals from illegal occupants or to generate 25000 crore revenue earmarked for giving Roshni i.e electrifying all the far flung villages of rural area of the State.
Interacting with the members during a meeting the Chairman FONL Action Committee Inderjeet Khajuria blamed the State Government of its anti poor policy as the said amendments in the State lands (vesting of ownership to the occupants) rules 2007 besides other amendments include further hike of 5 % in all the slabs for fresh applicants and further penalty to be imposed on all the pending cases is against their interests.
Mr Khajuria gave clear account of the meetings conducted and submission of memorandum to the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, present CM, Omar Abdullah, then Revenue Minister, Raman Bhalla, then Political Advisor to CM Devender Rana, Divisional Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner claiming that the Forum was assured of charging rates for regularisation of Nazool lands/Government land at par with the rates charged from the occupants of 13 colonies already regularized by the Government where 15000 to 40000 per kanal have been charged.
He said Forum has expressed its inability to pay Rs 40 lakh to 1.5 crore per kanal as levied by the Government for regularization which otherwise as well is not justified in view of ground rent, Mr Khajuria further clarified that the State Government had agreed to appoint a fresh Price Fixation Committee to review the exorbitantly high rates but the said committee was never formed but instead recommended further hike in the rates.
Mr Khajuria appealed the Chief Minister to rethink over the decision before according Cabinet approval to the said amendments otherwise the suffering public will have no alternative but to resort to agitation.