*Forest Deptt’s repeated requests fall on deaf ears
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 31: Shocking it may sound but it is a harsh reality that Jammu Police is leaving no stone unturned to shield encroachers of the forest land particularly in and around Sunjwan, Bathindi and Raika areas of winter capital, which have virtually become breeding ground for such elements mainly because of backing from politicians.
The startling revelations about unwarranted police support to the encroachers have been made by Divisional Forest Officer, Jammu Forest Division, Dr V S Senthil Kumar in a communiqué addressed to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, the copy of which has also been furnished to the Chief Conservator of Forest, Jammu for taking up the matter with the higher authorities of Police and Divisional Commissioner Jammu for necessary action.
“The encroachers in and around Sunjwan, Bathindi and Raika areas are active and encroaching upon forest land as per their sweet will”, reads the communication, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR. The DFO has brought to the notice of the SSP that Forest Department, after thwarting the encroachments, had lodged several complaints in the Police Stations concerned and requested the Station House Officers (SHOs) for registering the FIRs but the same are not registered for obvious reasons thereby resulting into complete lawlessness.
“This is leading to encouragement to the encroachers, who are openly disobeying the public authority and challenging the law enforcement authorities by resorting to encroachments”, the DFO said, adding “there is no deterrence by the administration and police, which is paving the way for unabated encroachment on forest lands”.
Quoting some examples where FIRs were not registered despite repeated requests by the Range Officers, the DFO said that in the recent past the encroachment on forest land in Sunjwan area was started by one Nasar Ahmed, a resident of Latti Dhoon and on getting information about this a team of Forest Department officials visited the spot and stopped the work. Thereafter, the Range Officer Bahu vide his letter No.1025-28/BR dated January 12, 2016 lodged a complaint with SHO Police Station Trikuta Nagar.
On the next day, the encroacher again started the construction work but the forest team with the assistance of police personnel seized the implements and requested the concerned police officials to register FIR. After few days, the encroachers again started construction of water tank which was subsequently stopped by the forest team. During the intervening night of January 23 and 24, 2016, the encroachers completed the construction but on next morning the forest officials demolished the structure and seized the construction material. However, no FIR was registered by the Police despite the fact that DFO vide letter No.DFO-J/160-61 dated January 20, 2016 had written to the SSP Jammu for directing SHO concerned for lodging an FIR.
Similarly, in Sunjwan village, Khasra No.371 is a forest land and is a Bahu Game Reserve. Few days back, Showkat Ali and Haider Ali, sons of Allah Rakha of Sunjwan and Ishtaq Ahmed, son of Manzoor Ahmed of Bhaderwah, presently putting up in Gujjar Nagar, started construction work but the forest staff stopped the same and seized the implements.
“But on January 24, he again started the construction, which was also foiled. During the investigation, it has come to the fore that the encroacher is a Government employee working as a clerk in Health Department and has purchased three marlas of land from Dr Ghulam Nabi Bhat at the rate of Rs 2.50 lakh per marla. The whole deal was mediated by Lal Chowdhary, a property dealer residing near B N College Sunjwan”, the DFO said in the communication, adding “the Range Officer Bahu vide letter No.1085-88 dated January 25, 2016 had requested the SHO Police Station Trikuta Nagar for lodging FIR but the action is still awaited”.
Quoting another case, the DFO said that a notorious land grabber namely Showkat Ali, son of Allaha Rakha of Sunjwan was trying to encroach upon forest land in Khasra No.371 and even after repeated warning/ directions from the Forest Department he completed the work. On August 25, 2015, the DFO along with Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) South and Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) dismantled the crate constructed by the encroacher and Range Officer Bahu lodged a complaint with Police Post Bathindi for registering FIR against Showkat Ali and Sharafat Hussain. However, till date no FIR has been registered in this case.
“Since there is no deterrence Showkat Ali again started the construction work on the same land in Khasra No.371 and on January 24, 2016 the forest team with the assistance of SDM South and SDPO visited the spot but could not dismantle the structure due to inadequate number of police personnel and over-whelming supporters of encroachers, who had assembled on the spot”, the communication said, adding the SDM South had asked the police to arrest the person but the Showkat Ali again raised the construction in the night hours.
“This shows the complete lawlessness in the area and no deterrence against the encroachers as no arrest was made”, the DFO said, adding “if this trend continues it will be difficult to save the forest land from the encroachers in due course of time as such registration of FIR has become imperative”.
In order to prevent forest land from being encroached, the Forest Department on December 30, 2015 started fencing work in between Compartment No.6&7 and barbed wire was installed on both side of road from Sunjwan to Barmani. However, on the intervening night of January 2 and 3, 2016, some unknown persons damaged poles and wires. About 260 poles along with barbed wire were damaged and 125 poles were displaced/stolen by the land grabbers causing huge damage to the Government property.
In this regard, Range Officer Bahu vide letter No.984-991/BR dated January 3, 2016 had requested the SHO Police Station Trikuta Nagar for lodging FIR. Even DFO on January 8, 2016 requested the SSP for the same but no FIR has been registered.
Keeping in view these facts, the DFO has requested the SSP Jammu to personally intervene and get FIRs registered. “Since it is a serious concern and will have wider law and order ramification if not checked at initial stage, all SHOs may be directed to register the FIRs immediately and culprits be arrested in order to give clear message to the public in general and encroachers in particularly to desist from the encroachment”, reads the communication.
According to the sources, whenever the police tries to take action against the encroachers the politicians intervene and get the action stalled”, adding “moreover, the police personnel, in order to remain in the good books of the politicians, oblige them and this results in boosting of morale of the encroachers”.
“Governor N N Vohra should take serious note of this and pass necessary directions to the Jammu Police so that forest land is saved from the encroachers”, sources stressed.
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