The Legitimate Desk: Spared
Srinagar: There is a disquiet among many people of Duderhama and adjoining areas in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district against the administration for its alleged inaction against illegal encroachments on state land.
Interestingly, the people support administration to get the areas rid off of the encroachments in any for whatsoever it exists but wants the action to be all-encompassing and not “restricted to the felling of trees.”
“Whether advertently or inadvertently, the action by the administration to fell the trees is going to help some influential who wanted the Kahcharai lands cleared of trees so as to get the clear way for commercial constructions,” they said.
“Why is it that administration is restricting the drive to trees only. People have encroached lands by way of constructions and no action is being taken to remove them,” they told GNS.
There are a number of people including that of Wani’s, Malik’s, War’s and Sheikh’s who have encroached upon the state land by way of illegal constructions.
“There are some constructions even going on or materials dumped to raise them. The erected illegal constructions shall be demolished and the administration needs to vigilant to prevent new illegal constructions and shall not allow it,” they said, adding, “Some people have planted poplars in agriculture land at the detriment of other agriculturists and because they wield some influence, nobody body is taking any action against them,” the people said and demanded intervention of the top officers including divisional commissioner Kashmir and concerned deputy commissioner into the matter.
“Let the action of the administration be fair and transparent in all actions otherwise an impression is being given that influential and relatives of some officers are not being touched even though they openly encroach upon the state land.”
However, Additional Deputy Commissioner Nasser Ahmad Ganderbal said that the anti-encroachment drive is being undertaken on the directions of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir.
Asked as to why the drive was not all-encompassing, he said that no encroacher shall be spared and action would be taken alike as provided under law. (GNS)
