Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
jammu, Feb 25: A lobby of industrialists under patronage of a former Minister has reportedly succeeded in compelling J&K State Industrial Development Corporation (JKSIDCO) to illegally transfer land in rampant violation of lease deed provisions and even the directions of High Court.
Sources informed Early Times that JKSIDCO has made land transfers recently in favour of a few individuals despite the fact it has no mandate to do so. "As per the land allotment norms, all allotments are approved by the mechanism of single window clearance committee headed by Director Industries and Commerce or the concerned Deputy Commissioner. The brief of SIDCO is limited to only execution of lease deed with the allottee of land after an order sanctioning the allotment of land is issued by the Industries and Commerce department", sources said.
They further informed that even portions of land from already established industrial units were being transferred. Giving a few instances of such illegal transfers, sources revealed that 33 Kanals of land has been transferred from the possession of M/s Incite Home Products to M/s Zeiss Pharmaceuticals and 4 Kanals of land has been transferred from M/s Kashmir Electricals to M/s VRV Industries without making a reference to the single window clearance committee and seeking its nod.
Sources further informed that some of these land transfers have been made in favour of the members of the Industrial associations, who were reported to exercise huge influence on the Industries Department, through brazen trade unionism and also enjoy the support of the political and bureaucratic higher ups.
"In an instant case surplus land of 2 Kanals was reportedly transferred from the possession of M/s Madeira Bottlers located in SIDCO Industrial Complex to M/S Branco Industries, despite an unambiguous advisory from the I&C department to MD SIDCO to resume the land in terms of Section 34 of the relevant lease deed provision and as per the directions of the Court in OWP No. 1343/2014 in the matter of Manish Sharma & anr. vs State & ors", sources said.
Sources further said that JKSIDCO has also not resumed land in the cases where it had clear orders from the single window clearance to do so.
"In some cases, lands have been illegally held for decades by a few individuals despite the fact that their provisional registrations have lapsed since long. As per the lease deed provisions, such lands are required to be resumed and placed for re allotment before the SWCC so that the same could be allotted to the genuine entrepreneurs. However, JKSIDCO has for some reasons looked the other way and allowed some unscrupulous elements to hold the land and indulge in speculative trading", sources said.
This is despite the fact that a large number of sincere entrepreneurs who have applied for land allotment are waiting in queue since more than a decade due to non-availability of land, in the industrial estates, sources said.
Sources further divulged that some industrialists have got allotted huge chunks of land in the shape of small plots long time back when the premium used to be Rs. 20-30 thousand per kanal and were now selling the same at Rs. 20-30 lakhs per kanal.
According to sources, this lobby is extremely influential and also managed to persuade the previous chairman JKSIDCO, former Industrial Minister to pass instructions in total violation of industrial policy, the Cabinet decision and the MSME Act, allowing the land mafia, who has retained the land, in some cases for even more than a decade, to set up their units by March, 31, 2016. "It was simply to avoid cancellation of land allotted in their favour and its resumption by JKSIDCO", sources said. |
