Jammu, April 27: Nothing on the earth can be more bizarre than the inaction on the part of Auqaf Islamia Jammu which has ever since remained unmoved towards the vacation of illegal occupation  of over 58-graveyards spread over 1553 kanals of land at various places across the winter capital and its peripheries.
 The tragic part of the story is that the occupants, in total disregard to the sanctity of the place like graveyards have constructed urinals and public conveniences on the encroached land, while the trust management continued to watch all this like a mute spectator.
  Thousands of  kanals of graveyard land, as per the government records,  have been usurped   by Army, Police, Jammu Municipality and the residents with impunity and put to use for construction of  urinals, schools and cow sheds besides establishments of army camps- with total disrespect to the thousands of the graves beneath these structures. 
  Interestingly, while in some cases the body, also known as Auqaf trust, has won the claim over the property in the court, it has failed to retrieve the land – thanks to the laidback approach of the subsequent authorities which run the trust.
  The case of Rehari graveyard is a befitting case in point – of which   112- kanal 19 marla land continues to be under the illegal occupation of the usurpers despite the fact that the court decree in favour of the trust.
 To the utter disappointment of the sentiments of the people, a vast portion of the Rehari Graveyard comprising 76-kanal have been allotted by the Custodian Department to its employees,  34-kanal and 10 marlas are under the occupation of Army, while on over 15 marlas of land Jammu Municipality has constructed urinals.
 Similarly, over 2 kanals and 10 marlas is being used by locals as cattle shed and the waste produced by the livestock flows directly towards the portion which is still in use as graveyard.
 More amusingly, the condition of the place to which a particular community has high regard is located hardly 500 hundred meters away from the state’s highest seat (Civil Secretariat). Given the situation in the heart of the city, one could imagine the condition of the graveyards which are located at far off places away from the sight of the authorities.
 In Chak Nanak of Samba district 28- kanal and 2 marlas land of graveyard is under the Railway track, while at Thalori in the same district 49 kanal and 5 marlas of graveyard land have been usurped by the local residents.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST