Oops! 5 kanal Govt land at Eidgah sold for Rs 500 Old issue, happened in 2008, we’ve regained possession: Admin M HYDERI Srinagar, Dec 1: During the Amarnath forestland row of 2008 when Kashmir was on boil and many died in street protests, some Babus were busy selling a prime piece of five kanal government land at Eidgah worth around whopping Rs five crores for mere Rs 500. But sale of land at peanuts is not the only apparent fraud. Official documents reveal that some “erring” officials broke multiple norms to realize the deal for the prized site along the busy Dr Ali Jan Road in north City. For now construction material lies dumped at the site hinting that building activity would be started there though the government says the scene has changed. EARLIER ATTEMPTS Official documents reveal that in 2007 some “influential family” had lobbied for grant of ownership rights of the land under the Roshni Act. But the empowered committee led by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, which could settle such deals, at its meeting held on May 31, 2007 had deferred the case. THE RAGDA GARB But a year later, when people of Kashmir were out on streets during the Amarnath land row, some Babus “clandestinely” went ahead with the deal believed to have been done in lieu of huge kickbacks. The deal was finally inked on July 15, 2008 for a “token amount of Rs 500.” Officials said the land was subsequently mutated by the then Tehsildar north who is presently under suspension. The “beneficiary” procured the land for Rs 100 per kanal under Agriculture Category where the price had to be “comparatively low”. “Agricultural land is sold for minimal account for locals and this is what he also succeeded at though in brazen violation of the norms and not being any local,” said officials privy to the case. But the district administration recently discovered that this prime plot wasn’t any agricultural land. “The revenue record has been examined and it has been found that the land is recorded as ‘Ghair Mumkin Nambal’ which does not fall within the category of Agricultural land,” official records reveal Vide number 85-87/RD/Roshni-85 dated 19-11-2013, a copy of which lies with Greater Kashmir. WHISTLEBLOWER Official documents reveal that for the past five years the district administration had been sleeping over the alleged fraud till two months back when the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Shailendra Kumar smelled a rat. On October 14, 2013, the Divisional Commissioner vide a letter vide No DivCom/RA/196/11/2013 directed the District Development Commissioner (DDC), Farooq Ahmed Shah to look into the matter. The DDC, in inquiry, observed that the empowered committee entitled to grant such ownership rights had never passed any such orders. ‘CONNECTED MISGIVINGS’ Sources at Divisional Commissioner’s office revealed that the “erring” officials who sold the prime Nazool land for peanuts were also involved in other alleged misgivings. “During the same period these erring officials remained instrumental in grant of building permission for construction of controversial guesthouses on the ecologically fragile Sulaiman Hills,” recapped a lower rung official asking not to be identified. Despite massive public outcry, government neither revoked the building permission orders nor was any probe ordered into the allegations of kickbacks taken by the accused while the concrete structures came up in a cakewalk. OFFICIALS SPEAK When contacted an official spokesman said the Eidgah matter has been resolved and control regained on the Nazool land. “The orders under which the land had been sold have been withdrawn by treating them as void and illegal,” the official spokesman said. Giving details he said a high level team of officials including Additional Commissioner Srinagar GM Dar, Assistant Commissioner Revenue Syed Sajad Qadri and Tehsildar north Nusrat Aziz recently freed the government land. “The Nazool land has been freed from the encroachers and it was an old issue dating back to 2008 and nothing new,” the official said. He, however, declined to comment on action taken against the accused officials. Lastupdate on : Sun, 1 Dec 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time Lastupdate on : Sun, 1 Dec 2013 18:30:00 GMT Lastupdate on : Mon, 2 Dec 2013 00:00:00 IST
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 04:09:28 +0000
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