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| Land mafia completely takes over social forestry department | | | A B Sharma
Early Times Report
Rajouri, May 2: After years of connivance with the land mafia in green felling and illegal occupation of forest land, the social forestry department in Rajouri district has completely surrendered to the dominance of the mafia and has shut its eyes to blatant encroachment and construction of pucca structures over forest land.
The most glaring example is the encroached closures(state sector) of the government in the division which in 2007 were marked by the forest department as the forest property. The closures (state sector) encroached are 20/R, 21/R, , 93/R and 94/R which are in violation of the norms of the Forest Act of the state.
In these closures, there are pucca houses erected in various places which as per the residents of the houses have been 'legally' sold to them by the encroachers of the land.
"This is quite astonishing as to how the land mafia has produced the valid documents of the encroached lands and sold them legally to the occupants of the houses on the forest land ," said Beli Ram , a resident of the adjacent village at closure 20/R. It is in place to mention here that such illegal business right under the nose of the administration and Social Forestry Department, division Rajouri is also in the knowledge of the Ranger , Division Forest Officer and Forester of the area.
A senior official of the department , however, on the condition of anonymity confirmed that department had on many earlier occasions formed a team to conduct raid on such illegal premises, but could not complete the exercise due to pressure from various quarters.
"It's not that we don't know about the illegal activities going on in the division in the social forestry .
But whenever we form a team to conduct raid, some telephonic orders come from above not to interfere in the matter and the raids remain inconclusive "said the social forestry department officer.
The public of the area have appealed to the newly inducted cabinet minister in Forest Department , Rajeev Jasrotia to look into the matter so that the green gold of the area could be saved from land mafia |
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