Land retrieved from one, given to another: Jasrotia
*Encroachers built banquet halls, complexes: Narinder
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 13: Rs 18,000 crore worth State land is under illegal encroachment in Jammu and Kashmir and eviction processes have been initiated to reclaim it.
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This information was given in the Legislative Assembly today in response to a written question of BJP MLA from Jasrota Rajiv Jasrotia by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who holds charge of the Revenue Department. However, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo read the reply and responded to supplementaries on behalf of the Chief Minister.
“The total State land illegally occupied by encroachers in Jammu and Kashmir measures to 17, 27,241 kanals and 8 marlas (2,15,905 acres). A total of 15,39,662 kanals and 15 marlas (1,92,457 acres) have been reclaimed from encroachers,” Itoo said.
She further said 13,645 kanals and 12 marlas (39,205 acres) are yet to be retrieved. “The tentative value of the land under encroachment is Rs 18,049.6 crores (3,13,645 kanals and 12 marlas),” she said
“Eviction processes have been initiated,” she added.
Several members, including BJP members Narinder Singh Raina, Rajiv Jasrotia and R S Pathania, posed supplementary questions seeking fixing of the timeframe for removing extensive encroachments on state land.
“I have repeatedly been saying that there is a nexus with the encroachers. The Government has itself admitted encroachments on huge chunk of State land,” Jasrotia said and cited that land was retrieved from one person only to be given to another. He also mentioned Khasra numbers etc and submitted document to the Speaker in support of his claim.
Sakina Itoo admitted that the state lands have been encroached at many place and said concerns of the MLA (Rajiv Jasrotia) are genuine. She, however, declared that the Government is now in action mode.
BJP MLA from RS Pura-Jammu South Narinder Singh, raising a supplementary, said the needy people are facing harassment for getting even CLU (Change of Land Use) certificates to build their residential homes in small chunks of land only in few Marlas.
On the other, Singh said, the influential persons have encroached the Government land to build commercial complexes and banquet halls and are earning crores of rupees.
BJP’s Chenani MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia wanted the Government to come out with timeframe on eviction of land from the encroachers. Calling upon the Government to stop blaming past, he asked the Government as to when it will act against the guilty officers.
The three BJP MLAs expressed serious concern over the massive encroachments of Government lands in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Minister, however, assured them that actions have already been initiated.
Regarding land use conversions, Itoo said the total conversion of agricultural land for industrial purposes in Kathua and Jasrota amounts to 4,729 kanals and 19.33 marlas. For commercial purposes, it totals 559 kanals and 18 marlas.
In Samba, she said agricultural land conversions amount to 156 kanals and 7 marlas for industrial use, and 654 kanals and 10 marlas for commercial purposes.
She said the Revenue Department has not transferred State land to private individuals for setting up Industrial Estates.
“However, based on requests from the Industries and Commerce Department, 12,260 kanals and 3 marla of land have been transferred to them across various districts in the past two years”, she said.
The Minister said the land retrieved from the encroachers is being allotted to landless people with five marlas norm as per the policy.
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