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| Fails to fence MFP closure Kanachak despite allocation of funds | | Forest Department bows down before land mafia | | ARUN SINGH
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 19: Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department has virtually failed to protect its land from the clutches of land grabbers in Kanachak area of Jammu district, where land is being encroached upon gradually by the unscrupulous elements and the department acting has mute spectator, which directly raises fingers on its functioning.
Moreover, Rs 30 lakhs were released to the concerned division for carrying out fencing to protect the land but it didn’t take off, reasons best known to the department.
Sources told Early Times that Minor Forest Produce (MFP) Division of Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department had established a Forest closure over 460 kanals of State land in the year 1997-98 at village Rajpura Patwar Halqa Panjore Tehsil Marh, which was fenced with barbed wire and it was named as MFP closure Kanachak in Forest records.
They further said that with the passage of time land grabbers started encroaching upon this closure inch by inch right from 2008 and as on date this whole closure has fallen into hands of land grabbers leaving the Forest Department mere a mute spectator. “As per Revenue records, the Closure land still reflects Girdawari of about 420 kanals in the name of MFP Department,” they added.
Although the locals of the area strongly objected to the encroachment thereby the department took action and sanctioned Rs 30 lakhs for chain link fencing in 2018 of this closure but it could not take place despite a lapse of more than two years due to resistance by the encroachers, they informed.
Irate, locals appealed to LG, who is holding the portfolio of Forest Department to intervene into the matter and save the forest closure from the clutches of land mafia and instruct the DFO, MFP Projects, Jammu to get this forest closure demarcated and fenced. |
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