*Admn gets FIR registered; all activities stopped
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 20: Making mockery of the Government’s repeated warnings, the land mafia continued to raise its ugly head and this time they have targeted huge area near the site identified for the establishment of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Nagrota tehsil of Jammu district. However, the administration has foiled their attempts by getting all sorts of activities in several Khasra Numbers stopped forthwith and lodging an FIR.
Many heads are likely to roll in this particular case as direct involvement of police as well as Revenue officials has clearly been established during the discreet inquiry.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that ever since the land in Jagti area of Nagrota tehsil has been identified for establishment of prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), the land mafia has repeatedly been making attempts to encroach upon the State land by taking advantage of their well knit nexus with certain police officers and functionaries of the Revenue Department.
Recently, the mafia with the active support of Revenue Department officials posted in Nagrota Tehsil Office and a police officer also posted in Nagrota Sub-Division managed to purchase private land from some persons and thereafter started making attempts to encroach upon the adjoining State land, sources informed, adding the intensity of the nexus can be gauged from the fact that even JCB machines were pressed into service particularly during the evening hours to level the land, which otherwise is believed to be belonging to the State.
Even a senior police officer, who was facilitating the mafia in encroaching upon the State land, himself purchased more than 50 kanals of land and thereafter filled the Gair Mumkin Khad by putting earth on it to ensure smooth passage to this particular piece of land, sources further said, adding with the illegal activities of this police officer the common pathway duly recorded under revenue records got blocked.
However, before the mafia with the active assistance of Police and Revenue officials could completely succeed in their nefarious designs, the administration received inputs from certain quarters and accordingly, the Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Simrandeep Singh started discreet enquiry to bring facts to the fore.
During this exercise, Revenue Department officer(s) of Nagrota Tehsil, who otherwise were mute spectator to the illegal activities, suddenly changed their stance fearing strong action from the Government and started extending help to the Deputy Commissioner in the discreet enquiry, sources informed.
During the course of this enquiry, it was established that land mafia was hell bent to encroach upon the land, whose cost has escalated following identification of land for setting up of Indian Institute of Technology, sources further informed, adding it has also come to the fore that Aks-Latha Massavi (revenue map) of the entire area has been lost and the mafia is trying to obtain advantage of the same with the help of Police and Revenue officials.
“It is not understandable as to how some private persons, who are claiming to have Shamlat land in the vast area in the vicinity of site identified for IIT, can locate their land when revenue authorities do not have any revenue map to identify the land on spot”, sources wondered.
Keeping all these aspects in mind, the Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Simrandeep Singh has issued directions for stopping all sorts of activities on several Khasra Numbers in the area, sources said, adding “he is also closely examining the Fards issued by the Revenue officials in the recent past and on completion of this exercise many heads are likely to roll for facilitating the mafia in encroaching upon the land”.
Moreover, FIR No. 298 has been registered at Nagrota Police Station against one Vishwa Nath, son of Isher Dass and other land grabbers, some of whom have also been identified and are reportedly involved in encroachment activities in other parts of Jammu also.
In response to a question, sources said, “some officers of the Police Department are also likely to face action for either facilitating the encroachment or remaining mute spectator to the illegal activities of the mafia”.
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