After naming 161 beneficiaries of Roshni Act in Kashmir division including former ministers, prominent businessmen, relatives of politicians, the government has ordered all the deputy commissioners in Kashmir to collect and verify information regarding influential persons who have benefited from the scheme.
The Deputy Commissioners have been asked to depute officers who would compile a list of influential beneficiaries including ministers, legislators, bureaucrats, government officials, police officers, businessmen etc.
The Kashmir’s divisional administration has uploaded two lists of beneficiaries of Roshni which includes politicians, political parties, businessmen, hoteliers etc.
An order issued by the divisional administration states that in order to prepare verified information, the deputy commissioner concerned shall constitute a team of two officers to verify data/information.
“The data shall cover influential beneficiaries including ministers, legislators, bureaucrats, government officials, police officers, businessmen of Roshni scheme. Its present use and any further sale purchase of the property,” reads an order.
“Influential persons in occupation of state/public/common land illegally as per the court order. This is other than Roshni land, may or may not be having entry of illegal occupation in revenue record. This includes the rejected cases of Roshni scheme/non-payment made cases of Roshni/ other encroachment which may or may not be in revenue record.”
“On the directions of the high court and subsequent government orders we are uploading the data of persons who have been vested land under Roshni Act. It is ongoing exercise till the entire name and details of beneficiaries are uploaded on the official website,” said a senior official.
In Kashmir, the beneficiaries of Roshni scheme include Nawa-i-Subh complex, office of National Conference, Khidmat press and commercial building, City Walk Mall Residence Road owned by Shah Family, Hubson Commercial Building, Dr. Mehboob Afzal Beigh, Suraiya Abdullah etc.
As per the findings, in Srinagar district’s Shelteng tehsil, the transferred land under the Roshni Act includes the areas of Rampora, Natipora and Rawalpora.
In Khanyar tehsil, the major chunk of land transferred under the Act to different people are located in Brari Nambal, Buchwara, Nowpora and Nowhatta area.
Similarly, land in S R Gunj, Habba Kadal, Kothi Bagh, Rajbagh, Residency Road, Gogji Bagh and Nursing Garh have been transferred under the Act to many beneficiaries.
It is pertinent to mention that the government has already ordered revenue officials to cancel mutation under the Roshni Act. “We are preparing a list of beneficiaries, so far we have collected data of over 15,000 beneficiaries, including VIPs whose names will be uploaded on the government website after due vetting from concerned agencies.”
The official said that following the investigation, it has come to fore that government land worth crores of rupees will be recovered.
“The court direction and subsequent government and subsequent government action has exposed the nefarious manner in which government land has been taken over by the rich and influential and converted into commercial use,” he said.
“By illegal working of the government functionaries, out of the actual transfer of around 3,48,200 kanals of land under the Roshni Act, the major portion of over 3,40,100 kanals has been transferred free of cost as agricultural land.”