x

Like our Facebook Page

   
Early Times Newspaper Jammu, Leading Newspaper Jammu
 
Breaking News :   Well done, Charak | Where cinema begins again: The quiet power of restored classics | The Global Population Challenge | Humans Vs Machines: who will win the future of human resource management | India cannot function without Ram, Krishna, Shiva: CM Yogi | New UP is rushing from heat wave to green wave under Yogi Govt, reveals Forest Deptt report | Balbir remembered Guru Ravidass on Guru Purnima | DC Bandipora visits Gurez, reviews developmental projects | 420 MT Rotor lowered in Unit-I of Pakal Dul H.E. Project, CVPPL | Power Shut down | LG warns people giving irresponsible statements, propagating TRF narrative | LG congratulates Rajat Charak | Post-Operation Sindoor, demand for ‘Make in India’ weapons has seen sharp rise: LG Sinha | Lithium auction in Reasi expected after final survey report | J&K has evolved into year-round, all-segment tourism destination: CM Omar | Arms cache recovered in Poonch | Nabbed with Rs 70 Lakh Heroin, a family from RS Pura’s Tanda village running cross-border narcotics network | Amarnath Yatra: 7,307 pilgrims leave Jammu Base Camp | SC says ECI’s roll revision drive mandated in Constitution, but questions timing | ACB arrests Patwari for accepting bribe | Landslide kills girl | 7 injured in Udhampur accident | Goods train derails in Kathua | Joint Director Tourism Jammu Aijaz Qaiser interacts with social media influencers | MLA Arvind felicitates young Wushu Stars for bringing laurels to J&K | Div Com Jammu reviews preparations for Annual Basohli Utsav | Illegal pony operator booked & temple theft case solved in Katra | J&K Govt embarks on study to establish IT/ITES Parks | HC Grants bail to CE in corruption case | J&K High Court conducts plantation drive at Janipur complex | Kavinder pays obeisance to Hridayadeep Ji Maharaj on Guru Purnima | Pipping ceremony of Assistant Sub-Inspector held | Drug peddler arrested, intoxicant capsules recovered by Udhampur police | ADGP Armed J&K visits IRP 4th Battalion, Kupwara | Mehbooba seeks EAM's intervention to save Indian nurse on death row in Yemen | India's higher education ecosytem has undergone fundamental transformation: Pradhan at VC conference | ED books 29 Actors, Influencers, YouTubers in online betting linked PMLA case | Govt to sell minority stake in LIC | Delhi cop receives extortion call of Rs 10 crore; FIR registered, probe on | Dogri song "Ambli Banage Daal" released in Jammu | "Rotary Club Jammu Elite and SIBA organize successful medical camp | Balwant Thakur to visit England from July 25 to expand Natrang's international network | Modi Govt sets new benchmark for corruption-free governance: Rohiin Chandan | JKAACL hosts "Meet the Author" event | Field office of Union Ministry of MSME organizes Seminar | Samba police arrests absconder | SHKSSJ celebrates Guru Purnima with devotion and grandeur | KSS celebrate Guru Purnima with traditional religious fervor | GAMC&H Akhnoor students visited Sitlee Water Purification Plant | Workshop on Bloom's Taxonomy to Empower Educators | SJVN organizes two-day Orientation Programme for CMDs and Directors of CPSEs | SJVN organizes two-day Orientation Programme for CMDs and Directors of CPSEs | SIPS Hosts CBSE Cluster XVIIl Kabaddi Tournament | SBSSU becomes first University in Punjab to implement mandatory "Entrepreneurship Mindset" curriculum | Preserving our ecosystem, a collective responsibility: Committee on Environment | KU holds special marathon for differently-abled students | Shreyanka, Sadhu named in India A squad to tour Australia, Radha to lead | New Delhi to host two major international shooting competitions in 2027-28 | Back Issues  
 
news details
Influential grabber prized forest land, 227 structures constructed illegally
2/24/2020 11:44:50 PM
SAAHIL SUHAIL

EARLY TIMES REPORT

PAHALGAM, Feb 24: While the innocent Kashmiris were facing the brunt of militancy during nineties, influential and rich in nexus with officials of Revenue and Forest Departments managed to grab hundreds of kanals of forest land at this world famous tourist destination and constructed huts, hotels and guest houses on forest and state land.
Sources in the forest department reveal that “big babus” and political cohorts’ grabbed forest and wildlife land with the active support of revenue officials during past years but the successive governments instead of initiating action against them encouraged the forest land encroachment by siding with the looters and land encroachers.
They said that hundreds of kanals of forest land has been illegally encroached at Pahalagm and due to inaction of the department land grabbers have managed to raise constructions on the same land. “Revenue officials are tempering with the records and helping land grabbers,” they added.
“Revenue officials from time to time have tampered with the records. Settlement records show 43 Kanals and 19 Maralas under Khasra number 169 but now after making fraud entries officials have issued documents to more than 75 kanals under the same Khasra number,” a local resident, privy of the developments told Early Times.
A group of bureaucrats have also encroached upon forest land in Ganeshbal area and raised constructions over it. Late Deputy Chief Minister’s son is also among the encroachers. Even the Forest department has reportedly issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) in favor of a businessman who runs cement business in Kashmir and allowed him fence a large chunk of forest land at Ganeshbal Pahalgam after the businessman stroked a monetary deal with top officials of the department. The businessman had plans to construct a hotel on the land but the continuous of coverage of ET spoiled his plans and the area was marked as green belt. An official in the forest department at Anantnag revealed that in 2006-Master Plan, the C-16 Zone of Mammal Wildlife sanctuary was put under permissible zone. “Irony is that these highly influential people not only grabbed forest and wildlife land at Pahlagam but also chopped off tress and used same timber to construct illegal structures,” he said.
He reveled that land has been also encroached in D-1, D-2, D-3 and D-4 zones of Khilan up to the Langni Bridge. Official said that an influential former town planner and his brother also grabbed land at Gogran Batkoot and raised illegal structures.
Land has also been grabbed in Mamam Shikargah of Aru Wildlife Sanctuary, Meeran Pattar and Aathnadan areas of Pahalgam.
In the Aru Wildlife zone locals allege that hundreds of Kanal of land have been encroached upon by many influential people with the tacit support of Wildlife officials, revenue and PDA officials posted in the area. “At Aru you will see many big patches of land in the Wildlife zone having been encroached upon by many influential people and the Wildlife officials never mustered courage to remove theses encroachments,” said locals.
Forest officials admit that the influential people under the grab of 60-C gazette have grabbed the land and raised over 227 structures illegally over it.
Important to mention here, in Kashmir valley thousands of kanals of forest land has been encroached.
According to details available with Early Times, over 27094 kanal of forest land is under encroachment in Anantnag district, over 2939 kanal in Bandipora, over 11221 kanal in Baramulla, 7636 kanal in Budgam district, over 897 kanal in Kupwara, over 6589 kanals in Kulgam, over 8179 kanal in Ganderbal and over 12339 kanal in Shopian district, however the department hasn’t done enough to check the menace of land grabbing.
  Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network  
  Comment on this Story  
 
 
 
Early Times Android App
STOCK UPDATE
  
BSE Sensex
NSE Nifty
 
CRICKET UPDATE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
Home About Us Top Stories Local News National News Sports News Opinion Editorial ET Cetra Advertise with Us ET E-paper
 
 
J&K RELATED WEBSITES
J&K Govt. Official website
Jammu Kashmir Tourism
JKTDC
Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board
Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board
Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board
UTILITY
Train Enquiry
IRCTC
Matavaishnodevi
BSNL
Jammu Kashmir Bank
State Bank of India
PUBLIC INTEREST
Passport Department
Income Tax Department
JK CAMPA
JK GAD
IT Education
Web Site Design Services
EDUCATION
Jammu University
Jammu University Results
JKBOSE
Kashmir University
IGNOU Jammu Center
SMVDU