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| Court questions Govt over alleged misuse of PMGSY funds | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Oct 2: The state High Court has directed government to reveal policy decision by virtue of which forest and kahcharie (grazing) land has been used for construction of road for the "private benefit of four persons who have constructed summer houses in village Badi Patheri."
Hearing a petition, a division bench of Chie Justice Gita Mittal and Dhiraj Singh Thakur also directed the government to place on record the manner in which any proposal for construction of a road and utilization of the amount received by the State Government under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana is affected.
In the plea, the petitioners have contended that the kahcharie land was illegally acquired and a road constructed over forest land. On 14 March this year, the court had called upon the government officials to show the source of the authority which enables them to utilize the kahcharie land for such purpose. "We find that in the affidavit dated 15.03.2018, respondents have however failed to disclose the claimed policy decision of the State Government allowing utilization of the land for small projects like school," the court said and directed that the details of the decision be placed on an affidavit and copy thereof be placed on record within two weeks. The order was passed on September 19.
The counsel for the petitioners stated that the road was constructed to serve only three or four houses. "Even these house owners use their properties as summer residences and do not permanently reside there" he added.
The court also directed the concerned officials to an affidavit of the concerned Tehsildar regarding the habitation of the village Badi Patheri.
"The issues in this case are of serious nature. The case is concerned with utilization of funds furnished by the Government of India under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The appellants (petitioners) have raised a strong objection to the utilization of these funds which, according to them has been utilized to construct a road only for the private benefit of four persons who have constructed summer houses in village Badi Patheri and do not normally reside there," the court observed.
The appellants disputed even the fact that they are regular residents of the village and contend that public funds have been misused for the purposes of constructing a road over kahcharie land. The road is alleged to be over 8 kms in length and according to the counsel for the appellants, crores of rupees have been spent thereon. |
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