Jammu and Kashmir: FIR against officials for selling state land in Rajouri after anti-encroachment drive

Jammu: After retrieving 34.25 acres of government land during an anti-encroachment drive, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district has now registered cases against some officials and private persons for selling the state land, an official spokesman said on Monday. Cases have also been filed for wrongful vesting of titles and allowing illegal constructions, the spokesman said. [caption id=“attachment_4292985” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] “Details were shared by the (displaced) families about the persons who sold the land over a period of many years and accordingly administration has lodged a case under various sections of Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) against private persons and officials involved in the matter,” the spokesman said. He said the charges in the case included cheating, forgery for purpose of cheating and criminal trespass, among others. Earlier, during a day-long drive on 6 January in Rajouri town, authorities retrieved 34.25 acres of land from illegal occupation and demolished over 30 illegal structures, including 14 shops and 11 concrete residential houses, apart from a vast network of concrete plinths and foundations. “A team of officers is already looking into the role of some officials into illegal constructions and wrongful vesting of ownership rights in few cases,” the spokesman said adding a joint team of police along with revenue officials would conduct a detailed investigation. After the demolition drive, according to the spokesman, the process has been set into motion for relief and rehabilitation of displaced families on humanitarian grounds. “District administration has provided alternate accommodation to seven displaced families and an immediate assistance of Rs 25,000 was given to each family apart from ration and essential commodities,” he added. The spokesman said authorities have also adopted educational expenses and livelihood of 29 children of displaced families for the duration of one year. Also, an assistant for reconstruction of houses and compensation was approved by the Deputy Commissioner (Rajouri) Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, the spokesman said. However, he made it clear that “only families below poverty line and those displaced due to road alignment” are eligible for housing and land for resettlement. The eviction and demolition drive would continue during the whole month of January, he informed.