| PDP leaders 'grab wetland', start land-filling | | Political workers 'snub' Govt official for stopping illegal work | | Hyder Ali
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 18: In a major "land scam", at least two leaders from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have allegedly grabbed government land in north Kashmir's Baramulla district by land-filling a "waterbody".
Official sources said the wife of a senior PDP leader and a lawmaker in the state legislature, who is also a prominent "land broker", have gone for "secret real estate deal", whereby they got a huge chunk of wetland and other government land "illegally mutated" in their names in Singhpora area of Baramulla.
As per some revenue officials, the land which has been grabbed by the PDP leaders was a waterbody for centuries. "For decades this waterbody was a blessing for the people and village women would often assemble here, but now these influential PDP leaders are grabbing the natural resource," the officials said.
The aggrieved villagers said it was a "double fraud". "On one hand, how can a wetland be anyone's personal property whereas on the other hand how can Aabi Awal be landfilled?" the villagers questioned adding it was "sheer misuse of power."
The villagers said they had planned to the block the Srinagar-Baramulla highway to protest against "Gunda Raaj." "But we were threatened by some cops not to resort to any such act or that our children would be booked under PSA on charges of stone pelting and that they would not be kept at Baramulla jail where inmates, as per a PDP leader, are given special treatment," the villagers alleged.
However as the news of "land grab" spread, some of the concerned citizens from other areas got to know about the "vandalization of natural resources." Raising a hue and cry, they are understood to have knocked the doors of office of District Commissioner Baramulla. "How can you be silent to this major land grab? Or is that the administration has sold its conscious before the Netas and their families?" the aggrieved asked.
Sources said the district administration assured to initiate action and stop land filling. The concerned citizens said a senior official told them: "See we can afford to stop the land filling but for the issue of fraud in mutation of land records of converting government land into personal property, you will have to visit Commissioner, Vigilance Organization Kashmir, or Crime Branch as they will not act unless you file a written complaint before them."
Subsequently, sources said on November 16, a team of officials led by SDM Pattan inspected the spot where the land-filling was going on in "full swing."
The officials at once asked the workers to stop the work. However in no time, the PDP's lawmaker, as per the witnesses, appeared at the spot.
Witnessed said he was all fire as to how come the government could stop work on land owned by PDP leader, when the government belongs to his party.
Villagers said some of the PDP workers present there abused the government machinery. "From your divisional commissioner, who would have otherwise been rotting in some cell, to many others, all are enjoying power only because our party empowered you all... How dare you let the land filling work stop?" the villagers quoted the PDP workers as having told the official machinery.
Sensing trouble, the official machinery, is understood to have fled from the spot.
When contacted the concerned SDM Pattan feigned ignorance about the issue. "I know nothing about this (land grab), but I have just received a complaint and plan to visit the site," the SDM said.
When reminded that he was seen at the site with the MLC a day before, the SDM said it was "sheer coincidence." "I was inspecting some other land which I didn't find wetland," the SDM said adding that no altercation had taken place at all.
The lawmaker also refuted the charges. "His (PDP leader's) wife and kids have procured some land in the area but it's all Milkiyatti Zameen. The entire village has no wetland, it's all Banjar e Qadeem, I think someone is misguiding media because he (other PDP leader) is so upright that he is among the first to pay tax," the lawmaker explained, adding ,"You should verify facts first." |
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