NC-PDP ‘coalition’ stalls Govt’s dream project 13 years on, Rakh-e-Gund Akshah satellite township hangs fire Srinagar, Oct 28: As Srinagar struggles to cope up with the mounting demand for affordable homes, an ambitious housing project in the city outskirts seems to have become a victim of alleged tacit collusion between land mafia and some politicians of the ruling National Conference (NC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who are not allowing the project to take- off. According to reliable sources, the politician duo - from NC and PDP – are allegedly, at the behest of land mafia, conjointly using their influence with the divisional administration to prevent Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) from taking possession of around 4200 kanals of land at Rakh-e-Gund Akshah near Bemina that already stands transferred to the Authority by the then NC government vide Order No: 191-HUD of 2000 dated: 24-08-2000. The area was to be developed by SDA as a state-of-the-art satellite township to create more housing units in the peripheries of Srinagar. However, due to unknown reasons, the project couldn’t make any headway during the six years of PDP-Congress coalition government between 2002-2008. “Although we have done most of the ground work on this ambitious housing project including preparation of the digital detailed project report (DPR) for the satellite township, ironically, we are now being told by the divisional administration that a ruling NC legislator from the area and an influential PDP leader and lawmaker are frantically trying to thwart land acquisition process by SDA,” a senior SDA official dealing with the matter told Greater Kashmir, pleading anonymity. According to official sources, the land, originally belonging to Rakhs and Farms Department, is under the possession of Kamas for cultivation. The government vide Order No: 132-HUD of 2001 dated: 28-05-2001 fixed improvement charges @ Rs 40,000 per kanal to be paid by SDA to the Kamas to get the land vacated. Accordingly, as per the same Govt Order, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir was asked to work- out modalities for measurement of the land, identification of genuine Kamas for payment of improvement charges and handing over physical possession of the land to SDA. The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, according to Revenue Department officials, constituted a team of officers headed by Assistant Commissioner Nazool for measurement of land and identification of Kamas in whose possession the land was. The Committee conducted physical measurement of 1237 kanals and 18 marlas of land, out of 4200 kanals, and also identified the Kamas under whose possession the said land was. Accordingly, SDA deposited an amount of Rs 1.90 crore with Director Rakhs and Farms for payment to the identified Kamas for which a disbursement Committee was also constituted by the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir. The Committee has already paid improvement charges to the tune of Rs 176.20 lakhs to the identified Kamas and accordingly land measuring 440 kanals & 10 marlas was taken over by SDA out of the land measured by the panel headed by Assistant Commissioner Nazool. However, according to official sources, further payment couldn’t be made to the identified Kamas as they approached the Court of law and got status quo orders. The cases, according to sources, were later disposed off by the courts in favour of SDA. Meanwhile, the state government vide Order No: 09- HUD of 2013 dated: 11-01-2013 constituted another official panel headed by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir with DC Srinagar, DC Bandipora and VC SDA as its members to resolve the issue with regard to payment of compensation/development charges to the Kamas. According to sources, on 10 May 2013, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir convened a meeting of VC SDA, DC Srinagar, DC Ganderbal, DC Bandipora and Director Rakhs & Farms to workout the modalities for payment of development charges to the Kamas. The meeting, according to sources, decided that that measurement of the land at Rakh-e-Gund Akshah would be done afresh and SDA would moot a proposal to the Cabinet through Housing & Urban Development Department for review of improvement charges to be paid to the Kamas on the analogy of land acquired for Central University Ganderbal. Despite the fact that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Minister for Urban Development, Nawang Rigzin Jora being more than keen to see the dream housing project making speedy headway, the matter, according to sources, is hanging fire as the local NC leader on the behest of his “benefactor” in opposition PDP, have been using their influence with the divisional administration to get the land acquisition process stalled, to impede the ambitious project. According to authoritative sources in the Revenue Department, the political duo are allegedly acting at the behest of the land mafia, who have illegally “purchased” the cultivation rights from the Kamas and are now hell-bent upon stalling any move by SDA to take-over possession of this prime land.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 02:43:32 +0000