‘Land scam worth crores in Rajouri’
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Jan 28: While the Divisional Commissioner Jammu has ordered inquiry into land scam worth crores at Dangri in Rajouri involving some Revenue officials in the forgery and tampering of official record, some officers in the district administration were sitting on the ‘probe’ files.
Official sources told the Excelsior that matter related to forgery and tampering of Revenue record in respect of about 22 kanals of prime land worh over Rs 20-25 crores at Dangri near District Jail Rajouri came to the notice of Divisional Commissioner, Jammu some time back, who issued order for the inquiry on August 1, 2019 and directed the Deputy Commissioner Rajouri to constitue a team and submit report within one month.
The then Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, directed Additional Deputy Commissioner, who is also District Vigilance Officer to conduct thorough probe and submit report within the prescribed time for further submission to the office of Divisional Commissioner, Jammu. But even after the passage of one year and four months, the inquiry report has not been submitted. Even reminder from the office of Divisional Commissioner, have no impact on some officials in the Revenue department in Rajouri, who are sitting on the files.
Sources further revealed that paying scant regards to the directives of the Divisional Commissioner Jammu, some officials in the District Administration Rajouri were adopting delaying tactics and trying to derail the probe, just to protect a Junior Engineer of R&B Department, a major beneficiary against whom Vigilance Organisation/ ACB has already registered a case FIR No. 40, 2018, besides some Revenue officials involved. Many heads may roll, if this multi-crore land scam is exposed, the sources maintained.
Interestingly, even a Government School which exists since long on the same Khasra Number 265 situated at Dangri has been excluded from the Revenue record. Not only this, the name of a poor woman Mayawanti and her family members has been abolished from the Revenue record by some Revenue officials with criminal conspiracy in league with a few outsiders.
The record available with Excelsior further revealed that again, another application was moved to the Divisional Commissioner Jammu by another aggrieved person, Pawan Kumar of Rajouri on July 19, 2019 with regard to reminder and initiating probe seeking action against the then Tehsildar, Rajouri, two Naib Tehsildars, two Girdawars and two Patwaris allegedly involved in the scam providing undue benefit to a JE of R&B and another local. Accordingly, the office of Divisional Commissioner Jammu flashed a reminder to the office of Deputy Commissioner Rajouri for early completion of the probe and furnishing report.
The sources revealed that Additional Deputy Commissioner vider order No. DCR/2019-20/DVO/137-48 dated 22-05-2019 had ordered a commission of inquiry headed by a Teshildar for fresh demarcation of the said land and conduct probe. Interestingly, two Tehsildars were appointed for the probe against the officer of same rank (Tehsildar, Abdul Qayoom the then posted in Rajouri) and two Naib Tehsildars, below that rank.
Additional Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri Sher Singh after another communication from Divisional Commissioner’s office, again directed the Inquiry Commission vide his letter No. DCR/2019-20/DVO/408-413 dated Sept 3, 2019 to conduct demarcation of land in question and complete probe as thay have already taken so much of time and submit report within one week. But unfortunately, the outcome of that inquiry was never known as yet and neither any report has been submitted to the office of Deputy Commissioner Rajouri nor the Divisional Commissioner Jammu till date.
Sources revealed that Commission was appointed after intense pressure from the top by the District Administration and no body knows about the fate of that probe. It has been learnt that some officials in the district admninistrration were sitting on the probe files and were trying to protect own officials and the beneficiaries including an influential Junior Engineer. The aggrived persons who have lost their land worth crores are running from pillar to post but their voice has remained unheard. The case was also referred to Crime Branch of State Police on December 7, 2017, but after initial probe no headway or any progress was witnessed in the case, sources added.
Additional Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri said he had constituted Commission of Inquiry under two Tehsildars. They took long time and were again asked to complete the task. They submitted a report after a lapse of long time in February last year but he was not satisfied with the outcome of the probe as inquiry was silent on several vital points and other allegations. Therefore, he directed them again to go into detail and come out with complete probe fixing responsibility on the persons/ officials responsible. They were also told to submit report in time bound manner as the higher authorities have viewed the delay over the matter seriously. Due to COVID period and lockdown , the activities went slow but he would try to initiate the process afresh and detsil the report, the ADC said.
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