Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Aug 1: An explosive situation has been created which may flare up violence any time creating law and order problem for the District Administration as some land mafia-men are threatening villagers who offered their land for the local University campus on the outskirts of the town.
Majority of the land allotted to these villages in lieu of nearly 300 kanal of University land has already been grabbed by some land mafia-men and others having some political connections. The villagers and famers who sacrificed and offered their land for the campus are now being victimized and feeling helpless as the mafia men in league with some top officials and businessmen from Jammu are exerting pressure on the District Administration not to hand over the possession of the land.
A possible violence was averted on Wednesday and even today when villagers and some hired men from the mafia group reached the spot. The villagers tried to plough their fields and had come with tractors and even JCB. But on the directions of the District Administration, Tehsildar and SHO Kathua along with force reached the spot and averted the violence. The villagers have now warned that if the District Administration failed to provide them possession of the allotted land, they will go and occupy their land in the campus.
MLA Kathua Charanjit Singh when contacted said that villagers gave their lands for the good cause of the area. Some outsiders from Jammu in connivance with some revenue officials grabbed land in and around Janglote, few years back. They also produced affidavits that they were original owners of the said land. But later, on the basis of complaints, inquiry was held and these people got exposed. The documents prepared and affidavits were found fictitious. Case was investigated by Crime Branch and two tehsildars, a Naib Tehsildar, Girdawar and two Patwaris were dismissed for wrong mutations and allotment of land giving undue favour to some businessmen from Jammu.
He said Tehsildar Territorial Kathua Jatinder Mishra decided the case and did mutations in favour of the villagers (allotees) on July 16 and the land was also handed over to some families when they went for ploughing, but they were stopped by local Administration. He alleged that District Administration was indirectly supporting the mafia men.
Mr Mishra when contacted claimed that he had decided the case on July 16 and on July 18 had handed over the land. But on July 27, the opposite parties brought stay from Tribunal and the work had to be stopped. He claimed that most of the families have been handed over the land and hardly 15-16 are yet to be accommodated on nearly 110 kanal of disputed land.
Deputy Commissioner Kathua, Jatinder Kumar Singh when contacted said there was no political pressure on him. “There was only pressure from the tribunal (Court) and we have to go by the directive. The court has directed to main status as was there before June 13, 2013. Nearly 50 odd familes had to be rehabilitated in four villages and the process is going on. There is legal battle between the two sides and we have to comply with the court orders,” the DC maintained.
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