Udhampur,14-01-2023: Coming down heavily on the govt for harassing the poor and marginalized sections of society on the pretext of encroachments and retrieval of state and forest lands, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister and senior AAP leader today called upon the Ex-Ministers, MLAs and bureaucrats to come clean on the issue before initiating eviction proceedings against the poor, hapless, uninfluential villagers, nomads and other homeless people. He said that selective action against poor, indigent and homeless people in the name of illegal encroachments to the exclusion of privileged classes was not only reprehensible but amounted to a sin of the highest order. He was addressing a press conference in Udhampur today.
Accusing the LG administration of facilitating the encroachment of palatial mansions besides state lands, forest lands, JDA and Municipal lands by Ex-Ministers, MLAs and other saffron party leaders while evicting the poor and bulldozing their houses, Mr. Harsh Dev said that AAP would vociferously oppose the double standards of the present dispensation. He said that several BJP leaders were reported to have usurped public lands and govt properties besides having regularized state lands under Roshni scheme with no action initiated against them for reasons best known. BJP leaders had illegally occupied govt bungalows without any entitlement but the present govt rather than evicting them was dismantling the residential units of poor people constructed decades back on the pretext of vacation of state lands. Describing govt moves as bizarre acts of highhandedness and political corruption, Mr. Singh urged upon the civil society to come forward to expose and oppose the authoritarian and dictatorial policies of the present corrupt regime.
Making a particular mention of some of the prime residential colonies and other concrete structures developed by the powerful politicians by encroachment and consequent destruction of Forests, Mr. Singh dared the govt to retrieve the Forest land from the Ex-Ministers, MLAs, MLCs and other bureaucrats in areas like Bhatindi, Sunjwan, Chowadi, Nagrota, Bajalta, etc in the vicinity of Jammu city. He said that several thousands of kanals of Forests land had been encroached by politicians and their cronies in the said areas mostly belonging to other districts who had raised huge residential and commercial complexes in collusion with the functionaries of Forest Deptt with the Forest officers reportedly having provided even financial assistance for raising such constructions. It was a case of ‘quid pro quo’ as the Forest officers provided financial and other support to their political masters and got prized postings in return.
Asserting that politicians and bureaucrats were not above law, Mr. Singh sought appropriate action against all Ex-Ministers, legislators and bureaucrats who had encroached govt lands in conformity with the principles of law and equity together with an enquiry against the officers who had allowed such constructions by tempering and damaging records. He further cautioned the govt that the state lands were not the ‘Jagirs’ or personal fief-down of Ministers or of govt officers who were supposed to apply same yard sticks with all encroachers without any bias, ill will, prejudice and without any regard for the office or position held by the offenders. Describing the selective action of govt against poor and destitute people as ‘cowardice’, besides “political corruption” of the highest order, Mr. Singh dared the govt to ensure vacation of land under illegal possession of land mafia and influential people as had been assured by the govt itself in Assembly and in Courts.
