Srinagar, Jan 19: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said that influential people misused their positions and encroached on state land in violation of the laws.
Speaking to the media after paying obeisance at MataZeashta Devi temple in Zeathyar Srinagar, LG Sinha said that the present anti-encroachment drive in JK UT will not have an impact on the general population or the underprivileged .
“The government is concerned to safeguard the interests of poor people, while as influential people misused their positions and encroached on state land in violation of the laws,” he said.
The LG said that there were directions from the High Court to retrieve state land from encroachers.
On January 9 circular was issued by Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Commissioner Secretary to the government, asking the deputy commissioners (DCs) to “ensure that all encroachments on state land, including Roshni and Kahcharai (grazing) land, are removed to the extent of 100% by January 31”.
It directed the DCs to draw up a daily anti-encroachment drive plan and also nominate additional deputy commissioners (ADCs) as district nodal officers for coordination and effective implementation of the drive.
About holding assembly polls in Jammu & Kashmir, Sinha said the Election Commission of India has made a statement on the issue.
The Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act was enacted in 2001 with the twin objective of generating resources for financing power projects and conferment of proprietary rights to occupants of state land.
The Act, popularly known as Roshni scheme, initially envisaged conferment of proprietary rights of around 20.55 lakh Kanals (1,02,750 hectares) to the occupants of which only 15.85 per cent land was approved for vesting of ownership rights. The scheme was finally repealed in 2018.
On October 2020, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court declared the Act “illegal, unconstitutional and unsustainable”, and ordered a CBI probe into the allotment of land under this law.
