BJP takes ‘notice’ of Nirmal’s army remark

Troubles are piling up for Speaker Assembly and former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh for accusing the army of “harassing people and not letting them construct even a toilet” near an army camp in Nagrota.

BJP general secretary (organization) Ashok Koul told Greater Kashmir that the party high has taken a “strong notice” of Singh’s statement. 

   

“We will talk to him and apprise the party high command accordingly,” he said.

The imminent reprimand from the party comes after the army moved the High Court to file a case against what it terms the illegal construction near its ammunition depot in village Ban in Nagrota. 

The case had been filed on 3 May, three days after Kavinder Singh replaced Nirmal Singh as the deputy chief minister in a ministerial reshuffle. 

The army is objecting to, according to a report in The Indian Express, the construction of a house on a plot of land that belongs to Nirmal Singh, saying the construction “has implications on the security of a major ammunition storage facility as well as the safety of all personnel living in close vicinity of the ammunition depot”.

But Singh calls the objection to the construction “politically motivated”.

“I have no legal binding that I cannot do the construction,” he said. 

Indian Express report quoted Singh as saying that “army doesn’t let people construct even a toilet. People are harassed”. 

 “This is my property. I have a right to use this property the way I want to use it. It is my fundamental right and you (army) can’t encroach. They are giving reference of RakshaMantri. I am telling them you should have acquired it. I have got the plan of the house passed and they are objecting,” the report quoted Singh as saying.

The land in question was bought by Himgiri Infrastructure Development Pvt Limited, a company incorporated in 2000, whose shareholders include Kavinder Gupta and BJP MP for Jammu-PoonchLokSabha constituency Jugal Kishore, the report said.

“The land is owned by Himgiri Infrastructure Private Limited. It is also a power company. My wife (Mamta Singh) is a director of this company. This piece of land where I am constructing the house is in her name,” report quoted Singh as having said.

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