MG Hector showroom demolished in Jammu
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Feb 11: Amid heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, a prominent showroom of a car brand was demolished here in Jammu today as part of an ongoing anti-encroachment drive being launched across the UT to retrieve the State land.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department have also issued notices to the encroachers in order to retrieve the water bodies encroached upon illegally in Srinagar, Baramulla and Sopore.
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The eviction drive in Jammu earlier last week had to be halted in view of stone pelting by the miscreants on the revenue and police teams. While one police man was injured in the stone pelting, several protesters were also arrested by the police.
SDM Jammu (South), Abhishek Abrol told the Excelsior that the drive that started at around 8 am today to demolish the MG Hector showroom at Malik Market Jammu was led by senior civil and police officers including DC Jammu, ADC Jammu (Law and Order), DIG Jammu-Kathua Range, SSP Jammu and other senior Police and Revenue officers.
“We tried to demolish the car showroom earlier on February 4 but due to stone pelting by some miscreants, we stopped our drive. Followed by this, a notice was served upon the owner of the showroom.
“Today, on completion of the notice period, a joint team of the revenue and Police Department razed the illegally built structure to the ground,” the SDM Jammu (South) said.
The Revenue official preferred not to comment on the total land retrieved during the anti-encroachment drive.
There was no report of any violence or stone pelting during the anti-encroachment drive that concluded at around 4 pm today as according to a police spokesperson, police teams of Narwal, Trikuta Nagar, Channi Himmat, Bakshi Nagar, Pacca Danga, Miran Sahib, Satwari, Gangyal and Bahu Fort were guarding the Narwal Bypass and other areas in the interiors.
Meanwhile, as part of flood management for the Srinagar City under the Smart City Project to restore the Doodh Ganga Nallah, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) today issued notice to all those who have encroached the rivulet asking them to remove the encroachments within a week.
Commissioner SMC, Athar Aamir Khan told Excelsior that restoration of the Doodh Ganga Nallah from Allochi Bagh to Chattabal is going on for the last three months.
“It is part of the flood mitigation plan for the Srinagar City under Smart City project. We are restoring this channel and notice has been issued to encroachers to remove illegal structures,” he added.
He said the channel is important for the management of storm water and for preventing urban flooding in Srinagar City.
In the notice, the SMC has asked the “individuals/encroachers” to remove “illegal encroachments” along the Doodh Ganga Nallah from Allochi Bagh to Chattabal within seven days.
A public notification issued by the Commissioner SMC said that failing to remove the encroachments will invite action by the corporation, including the removal of the encroachments at risk and cost of the “offenders” and “encroachers”.
The notification read: “Whereas it has been found that a number of encroachments and illegal structures have come up on the site of Nallah, the removal of these encroachments and illegal structures and restoration of Nallah is important for flood and storm water management in the City.”
It said that for the rejuvenation and restoration of Doodh Ganga Nallah and the removal of encroachments from Doodh Ganga Nallah from Allochi Bagh to Chattabal, they have taken up that under Srinagar Smart City Limited with Drainage Circle (Civil), with SMC as the executing agency.
The Nallah over the decades had been allegedly encroached by some vested interests with active connivance of various Government agencies. The encroachments of the Nallah and other water bodies led to severe damage to Srinagar city due to 2014 floods.
In another notice, Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department has asked people in Baramulla and Sopore towns to remove illegal encroachments over Jhelum River banks and other water bodies within the period of seven days, failing which strict action would be taken against the encroachers.
This notice has also been issued as part of flood management mitigation plan to prevent damage caused by floods.
According to a notice, people who have encroached over the Irrigation and Flood control (I&FC) land in the district have been asked to remove encroachments within seven days.
“If any person fails to remove the encroachment, the department would swing into action and people have to pay the charges of the same,” it said.
It read that strict action under the law would be taken against the people who fail to remove illegal encroachments within a stipulated time.
A similar kind of notice has been issued for the general public by the department in Sopore sub-division as well.
As per officials separate eviction notices have been issued to residents across the district for the same.
The notices have been issued to hundreds of encroachers at the three places and next week hundreds of structures would face demolition in these areas.
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