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Land grabbing around cantonment areas a matter of concern
7/15/2012 12:53:26 AM
Early Times Report

Jammu, July 14: Six feet from one's head to one's heel.This should be the requirement for man.And when years ago Tolstoy posed a question "How much land does a man need"he himself answered by saying that a man needs six feet land from his head to heel.In fact Tolstoy had painted, in one of his short stories,growing greed of man for land and riches which he finds simply futile because when a man dies he does not carry all the wealth and land with him but needs simply six feet from head to heel to bury his body.
Those who have read Tolstoy's story were expected to learn a lesson or two.Alas! it has not been the case and people continue to grab land,buy land,encroach on private and Government land.Even the forest belts have not been spared.Compared to other countries the incidence of land grabbing, encroachment of Government land has been highest in India,Pakistan and Bangladesh.In India there have been series of incidents of illegal mining and extraction of forest wealth. But the rate of encroachment of Government land and forest belts in Jammu and Kashmir has touchd an alarming dimensions because even the famous tourist resorts in the state, especially in the Kashmir valley,face a serious threat from the encroachers.
Militancy related activities and violence in Jammu and Kashmir have resulted in vast tracts of Government land and forest belts having been encroached by influential businessmen, political leaders,bureaucrats and senior police officials. This has remained unchecked during the last over two decades. What is surprising is the way those boys and groups of people,besides those supporting separatists and militants, who were in the forefront of the armed "struggle" indulged in a largescale grabbing of Government land and forest belts. Of late, those connected with tourism have raised a hue and cry over grabbing of Government land in various tourist resorts.
The vested interests, that are connected, directly or indirectly, with ruling political leaders and top bureaucrats and police officers have encroached on Government land in several tourist resorts, including Pahalgam, Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Kokernag and other stations, where they have constructed huts and hotels. In some tourist resorts influential people have built residential houses after having grabbed forest land. One finds land grabbing and encroachment cases piling up in Government offices but there has been no attempt made by the concerned authorities at removing encroachments by throwing out the land grabbers.
Land grabbing and encroachment on forest belts in Jammu and Kashmir is a matter of concern. But the bigger concern is over the way people having either muscle power or links with ruling political leaders, senior bureaucrats and police officers have managed to build houses or raise housing colonies adjacent to vital Government and defence intallations. Reports indicate that these traditional land grabbers and encroachers have occupied vast areas of land around the cantonment areas in Jammu and Srinagar. Army officers are apprehensive of the plan of a section of people who have raised housing colonies around the cantonment areas in the twin capital cities, some having done so after purchasing land and others having simply grabbed the Government land. Official circles are worried over this trend because having residential colonies the two cantonments can become vulnerable to some mischief from militants. These circles want the Government to enact a law under which raising of private housing colonies within five sq km radius of the cantonments be banned. And those connected with tourism favour immediate steps for restoring land, grabbed by encroachers,to the tourist resorts so that the Government could carry out much needed beautification programme.
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