Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Dec 21: The district administration in Central Kashmir district of Budgam today retrieved Government land grabbed by a Cabinet Minister and sealed three structures including houses of a retired bureaucrat and a police officer in a posh colony near Srinagar International Airport.
The demolition was carried out this morning in posh Friends Enclave Humhama near Srinagar International Airport where mostly top bureaucrats, police officer and politicians reside. Sources said that the demolition drive in the posh colony will continue as several ministers and bureaucrats are involved in the land grab in the Friends Enclave.
The district administration demolished the boundary wall of the house of Minister for Hajj, Auqaf and Floriculture, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and retrieved 30 marlas of grazing land (Kah-charie) which he had illegally grabbed.
The demolition squad also sealed house of a retired bureaucrat, Farooq Renzu, that was constructed on 30 marlas of grazing land. Renzu had built this house after illegally grabbing the Government land.
The demolition squad also demolished plinth of an under construction house. The owner, a local resident, had grabbed 40 marlas of grazing land worth around Rs 2 crore. They also demolished boundary wall of 10 marlas plot of a local resident.
The District Administr-ation sealed house of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Malik Aijaz, who had grabbed 40 marlas of grazing land at Gogo near Airport and constructed a house on it. Aijaz as per reports had grabbed this land when he was posted in district Budgam as DSP operations.
The district Administration also sealed the office of builder, Nazir Ahmad, who had constructed his office at Gogu near Airport on Government land.
Sources said that several ministers and bureaucrats have illegally encroached grazing land inside the posh Friends Enclave and the district administration may demolish the boundary walls and retrieve the land. This includes the land grabbed by two minister and two bureaucrats. Two senior bureaucrats have grabbed 16 marlas of grazing land and annexed it with 26 marlas of land each where they have their residential houses. In the same way two ministers have also grabbed the grazing land in the colony.
The Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Manzoor Ahmad Lone, couldn’t respond to the repeated phone calls. However, a Government official said that the demolition drive will continue as per the order of Jammu and Kashmir High Court and the land encroached upon by the bureaucrats and ministers will be retrieved.
An official statement issued here said: “Today, a demolition drive was carried out in Friends Enclave Humhama under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Budgam and Senior Superintendent of Police Budgam. The drive was carried out to remove the illegal encroachments from the Kah-charie land and to retrieve and protect the same.”
During the demolition drive a number of plinths and fencing walls were demolished and three residential houses were sealed as the same were illegally constructed on Kah-charie land. The drive was carried out in compliance with the directions of J&K High Court regarding the protection and retrieval of Kah-charie land and the directions given by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir.
The drive for eviction of Kah-charie shall continue and revenue functionaries have been directed to report all such encroachments for similar action.
The general public is also appealed for cooperation and vacation of Kah-charie land on their own in district Budgam.
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