VOK registers 3 cases in Roshni Scheme fraud

Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, June 5: Vigilance Organization Kashmir (VOK) today registered cases against over two dozen Government officials including Deputy Commissioners for illegally granting ownership rights of State land under Roshni Scheme.
The cases have been registered against then Deputy Commissioners’ Pulwama, Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo and Anantnag G A Peer and over two dozen officers for illegal and fraudulent vesting of ownership rights to the ineligible occupants of State land on lower rates under Roshni scheme.
The VOK registered three cases in Police Station VOK under Roshni scheme fraud today taking the number of cases registered under Roshni scheme to 7.
These cases were registered after verification of a copy of Audit report sent by Principal Accountant General(Audit) to the State Vigilance Organization. The report alleged irregularities committed in transfer of land under Roshni Scheme.
The verification of the report by the VOK, revealed that the officers and officials of Revenue Department of Anantnag, Budgam and Pulwama districts have by abuse and misuse of their official position as public servants conferred undue pecuniary benefit upon the illegal occupants of State land by arbitrarily fixing the price of land lower than the prevailing market rate of the area, incorrect the application of rates and unauthorized change of classification of land from residential to agricultural.
“The officers and the officials of the department have violated the provisions of the act and the rules their under and while acting in league with the beneficiaries inflicted huge monetary loss to the State exchequer thereby defeating the purpose of the Jammu and Kashmir State Land’s (vesting of ownership of the Occupants) Act 2001 i.e. generation of revenue for taking up development works in the State”, revealed the verification.
The VOK verification revealed that after hatching a criminal conspiracy the officers and the officials of the Revenue department Pulwama conferred the ownership right of State land measuring 6 kanals 10 marlas and 4 sirsai (khasra No’s. 754 min and 631 min) upon the unauthorized occupants Ghulam Ahmad Pandith son of Mohammad Ramzan, Dr. Farhat Pandith son of Abdul Ahad, Abdul Majid Sheikh son of Ghulam Ahmad and Ghulam Rasool Wani son of Rajab residents of Kakapora Pulwama under J&K State Lands (Vesting of Ownership of Occupants) Act 2001 despite knowing that the out of the land approximately 4 kanals, 2 marlas and 7 sirsai was falling within 75/70 feet of the main/link road and as such not permissible for vesting of ownership under the act.
The private accused person applied for vesting of ownership of the State land with Tehsildar Kakpora, the accused revenue authorities recommended conferring ownership rights upon the occupant and the accused members of the committee ordered vesting of ownership rights upon the private accused persons for the whole land including the land under coming under the Ribbon Development Act.
“In this regard, case FIR No. 29/2015 was registered in Police Station Vigilance Organization Kashmir, Srinagar under Sections 5(1) c, 5(1) d r/w 5(2) P.C Act Samvat 2006 and 120-B RPC against the occupants and then Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo, then Additional Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Iftikhar Hussain Bari, then Assistant Commissioner Revenue Pulwma Mohammad Rajab Bhat, then Tehsildar Pulwama Mohammad Hussain Mir, then Naib Tehsildar Pulwama Mohammad Maqbool Ahanger, then Girdawar Kakpora Ghulam Ahmad Sheikh, then Patwari Halqa Kakpora Abdul Razak Wagay and investigation taken up”, the VOK statement said.
Similarly verification conducted has revealed that after hatching a criminal conspiracy the officers, officials of Revenue Department Budgam conferred the ownership right of 4 kanals one marla state land (khasra No. 297 min) in village Rakhshalina Budgam upon Mian Mohammad Mujtaba son of Mian Nisar Hussain resident of Baghat Barzulla Srinagar under J&K State Land’s (vesting of ownership of the Occupants) Act 2001 under commercial category after calculating rebate much less than admissible under rules framed under the act.
“In furtherance of the conspiracy the private accused person applied for vesting of ownership of the State land with Tehsildar Chadoora and the accused members of the committee recommended vesting of ownership rights upon the private accused persons under commercial category at the rate Rs. 7.00 lacs per kanal and ordered the accused beneficiary to deposit only Rs. 6,37,875. However, as per the rules framed under the Act an unauthorized occupant was required to be ordered to deposit 60% of the anchor value of Rs. 28,35,000/- with an additional rebate of 25% if the remittance was made within three months. But in furtherance of the conspiracy the accused members of the committee ordered the accused beneficiary to deposit only RS. 6,37,875/- as against admissible amount of 12,75,750. In this manner the accused beneficiary was conferred undue pecuniary advantage of Rs. 6,37,875/- with corresponding loss to the state exchequer”, the statement said.
A case (FIR No. 30/2015) was registered in Police State Vigilance Organization Kashmir under section 5(1) c, 5(1) d r/w 5(2) P.C Act Samvat 2006 and 120-B RPC against Abdul Hamid Mir, then Tehsildar Chadoora and R.K Bhat then Assistant Commissioner Revenue Budgam and others and investigation taken up.
The verification conducted by the VOK in Anantnag revealed that after hatching a criminal conspiracy with Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Gassi and other sons of Ghulam Rasool Gassi resident of Khanabal Anantang the Ownership Rights of State Land measuring 14 marlas under Khasra No. 663Min and 664Min in Revenue Village Khanabal Anantnag were illegally and fraudulently conferred upon by the officers /officials of Revenue Department Anantnag upon occupants under J&K State Land’s (vesting of ownership the Occupants ) Act 2001 under residential category as against commercial category on the basis of anchor value of only Rs. 5.00 lacs per Kanal as against the existing market rate of Rs. 20.00 lac per Kanal and in this manner caused undue pecuniary advantage of least Rs. 5,25,30/- upon the occupant with corrosponding loss to the State exchequer.
The VOK has regard a case (FIR No. 31/2015) in Police State Vigilance Organization Kashmir under section 5(1) c, 5(1) d r/w 5(2) P.C Act Samvat 2006 and 120-B RPC against Syed Ghulam Jeelani then Patwari Halqa Khanabal Anantnag, Abdul Majid Wani then Girdawar , Altaf Hussain Mistri then Naib Tehsildar Anantnag, Syed Altaf Hussain then Tehsildar Anantnag, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Rather, then Assistant Commissioner Revenue Anantnag, Abdul Rashid Dar, then Additional Deputy Commissioner Anantnag and the then Deputy Commissioner Anantnag G A Pir and investigation taken up.