| Naib-Tehsildar, patwari to be chargesheeted | | Alleged Chatta-Sunjwan land scam | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 28: In the PIL highlighting alleged hushing up of Chatta-Sunjwan land scam, the revenue secretary Mohammad Afzal has filed a status report in the state high court and stated that Regional Director Survey and Land Records, Jammu, had submitted his inquiry report vide No RDS&LR/J/16/59-63 dated May 25, 2016, stating that there is no denial in the fact that the tampering of the revenue records has not occurred.
He said the serving officials identified by the inquiry officer in his May 25, 2016 report, who had issued subsequent fard-e-intikhabs in 2005, included patwari Mohan Singh (presently Patwari Halqa Nonath, Samba) and Mohammad Iqbal Zargar, who is at present posted as naib-tehsildar, Thathri, Doda. They were being charge sheeted by the financial commissioner, revenue, who had been asked vide letter No Rev/S/263 /2015 dated June 6, 2016 by the revenue department to initiate departmental action against the erring officials in terms of J&K CCA Rules, 1956. The status report says that since Aslam Din, then naib-tehsildar had already retired as such the inquiry officer did not recommend any departmental action against him.
The IO has submitted that the question of tracing out the persons who had tampered the record was an issue to be looked into by the investigating officer, but one thing was clear that if the fard intikhab had been initially issued in 1984 over khasra No 1442 projecting it as a private land and then getting the document registered without any revalidation after a period of six years prima facie makes out a strong case to doubt the record wherein the tampering has occurred.
The IO submitted that the subsequent issuance of fard intikhabs on June 4, 2005 and June 30, 2005 were based upon the record available which had been tampered in such a smart manner that the cursory look or a bare perusal easily could not detect it.
He said those who had issued subsequent fard intikhabs in 2005 namely then patwari Mohammad Iqbal Zargar Patwari (now naib-tehsildar, Thathri), Madan Singh, patwari Sunjwan, patwari Mohan Singh (presently Patwari Halqa Nonath, Samba) and the Incharge patwari Sunjwan at the most at this juncture could be charged with negligence and dereliction for having failed to peruse the entire record till it is proved otherwise.
It is worthwhile to mention here that GAD had in 2008 appointed Sudhanshu Pandey (IAS), then Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, as IO to probe the alleged hushing up of Chatta-Sunjwan land scam and he had been directed to file his inquiry report within 15 days. He, however, had failed to finalize the inquiry and subsequently a PIL, seeking reopening of the entire issue, was filed. Pandey had later conducted enquiry into the matter and came out with mind boggling revelations confirming tampering of revenue records particularly in Khasra No 1442 wherein the 20 kanals 15 marlas of land falling under it was shown as private land while it was actually state land.
Based on Pandey's report, GAD, on the opinion of law department, had referred the matter to IGP crime for a thorough probe into the matter and departmental action was also recommended against the erring revenue officials. |
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