Jammu, Feb 3: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday stated that the powerful and influential people, being evicted under the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, had been “fleecing rent from the army and ITC for encroached state land for the past fifty years.”
He alleged the powerful lot was giving land eviction drive – a colour or a twist to grind their own axe.
LG Sinha was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Civil Services’ Officers Institute at Jammu.
“Some people are trying to sabotage this drive to serve their own interests. Initially such attempts were made by those who were influential and powerful. Those wielding influence had abused their power and position and threw all norms to the winds and encroached upon state land. In violation of norms, they got it registered in their own names or in the names of their kin (members of their families or relatives). So they tried to provoke people by unleashing a vicious propaganda that the J&K administration was going to evict two lakh people,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
“I had personally called a meeting of the senior officers, in particular the DCs, SSPs, Divisional Commissioners, ADGPs and DIGs of both the divisions. I have categorically told them that generally whenever such (eviction or anti-encroachment) orders are issued, the poor and common men become the first casualty or target (of these drives). None is blamed for it as this has become a routine practice or has been appropriated as a “rule” (by the corrupt)- You demolish the building of an individual and then perpetuate fear among others and use that as a ‘template’ to fleece money from five others,” he remarked.
LG Sinha stated he had given clear directions that wherever such (eviction) drive was to be carried out, the concerned DCs and SSPs would in advance prepare lists and none (officer) should act on whims.
“I’ve been personally monitoring it. So overall this drive has been going on smoothly, strictly as per directions in the right spirit of law. A small incident did take place in Srinagar wherein the drive had gone a bit astray yet it was rectified overnight. From tomorrow onwards, the procedural system will further undergo change. Presently Kashmir officers are not here but Div Com Jammu, ADGP and DC Jammu Jamme are present. The officers should be aware of the activities to be undertaken the next day. Particularly the Divisional Commissioner should be fully alert vis-a-vis drive to be carried out in any district under his writ. He should update himself a day in advance. This will end any scope for inflicting self-goal,” LG Sinha directed.
Secondly, there was a need to brief the media about it to create mass awareness as to what those powerful encroachers had been doing all these years, he said.
“By transferring state land in their own names and in the names of their kin, they had been fleecing rent from the army for the past fifty years. They had been getting rent from ITC for state land. Common masses should know all this. I’m saying it with full responsibility and confidence that if a public opinion poll is conducted tomorrow, 85 percent of J&K inhabitants would maintain that the best job done by the J&K administration was to evict such influential and powerful vested interests from the state land,” he said.
He said that he had personally directed the DCs and SSPs to closely monitor and ensure no innocent person was affected in any manner during the anti-encroachment drive.
He said some people tried to spread misinformation that the common man would be impacted in the anti-encroachment drive.
“I want to assure the people that the administration will safeguard the habitations and livelihoods of the common man. Only influential and powerful people who misused their position and violated the law to encroach upon the State land would face the law of the land,” said the Lieutenant Governor.
He reiterated that only those people who grabbed land illegally through unfair means were facing eviction.