Srinagar, June 22
The Jammu and Kashmir Government has unearthed a multi-crore land scam entailing at least Rs 90-crore in Budgam district and ordered suspension of 14 officials of the Revenue Department, an official spokesman said.
The Revenue Minister, Mr Abdul Qayoom, who took serious notice of the land scandal involving more than 800 kanals of land, has referred the case to the Crime Branch for further investigation and initiating criminal proceedings against the
involved officials and private individuals, including those retired from government service.
Mr Qayoom said a large number of revenue officials and private persons had been found to be involved in the scandal. The officials had been making illegal and unlawful entries in the revenue records since 1983 to five illegal benefit to many private individuals causing huge loss to the state. He said of this 473 kanal of kahcharai and State land was located at Rawalpora and Estate Ompora while 329 kanals of state land has Nambli Narkara, Humhama in Budgam district.
This is the sixth land scandal detected in the state by the Revenue Minister since January last year. The earlier scandals unearthed pertained to Lal Chowk, Srinagar and Pallora, Amar Singh Club, Bakshi Nagar in Jammu City and Mendhar in Poonch district. The minister said he had initiated inquiries on the basis of complaints received by the government and the press reports indicating encroachment and illegal transfer of state land to some beneficiaries.
He said he had received the reports that encroachment of the state land at Numbli Narkara village in Budgam district had taken place clandestinely after illegal mutation in the Revenue records under nexus between the revenue officials and private individuals.
The minister had got these complaints investigated through different officers — the Director, Land Records, Kashmir and the Deputy Commissioner, Budgam.
After on-spot inspection and examination of records these officers found that illegal entries in respect of 329 kanals of land out of 1311 kanals 15 marla of the state land had been made over the years.
It was also found that to facilitate the encroachment of state land some elements had planted willow trees and filled some patches of water body (wetland) as a cover-up the encroachment.
The officers who had the statutory duty to prevent such encroachments were found to be responsible for it with the active connivance of some encroachers.
Forged entries indicating possession of land by a number of persons had been made in the revenue records with the objective of giving illegal benefit to the encroachers at the cost of the state.
