Biggest land acquisition scam in the making in CM’s own Ganderbal

4000 Kanal required for CU campus; 15,000 Kanal Govt land available; Revenue officials bent upon acquiring private land on formula 50:50

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jan 11: Chief Minister’s snubbing of the District revenue authorities over their failure in acquiring land for the Central University campus at a high level review meeting last month has failed to break the jinx. Unfazed by the dressing down, the Revenue authorities are persisting with their controversial plans of taking over thousands of Kanals of the private agriculture land on exorbitant rates. Triple the area required for the campus is readily available from the government’s own reserve but the land acquisition, according to residents and informed official sources, is underway with the intention of paying double---even triple---the market value to the owners and subsequently sharing the “profit” on 50:50 basis.

According to well placed authoritative sources, an area of 4,000 Kanal of land is required for raising of the campus of the Central University at Tulmullah, in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Assembly constituency of Ganderbal. Even as 15,000 Kanals of the government land is readily available, Revenue officials are bent upon acquiring private agriculture land from farmers of several villages. Expanse of the usable government land is spread over the adjoining Rakh-e-Tulmullah, Rakh-e-Wakoora, Rakh-e-Rabitaar, Rakh-e-Gogjigund, Rakh-e-Kurhama, Rakh-e-Sehpora and Rakh-e-Saloora.

Since Government of India is providing hundreds of Crores of Rupees for the land compensation, Revenue authorities want to grab the opportunity on the pattern of some previous land acquisitions in Ganderbal district. Residents insist that the modus operandi used in acquisition of land for the purpose of widening of Srinagar-Leh highway is being invoked in the matter of acquiring land for the Central University.

“Revenue officials have made huge money in recent land acquisitions in Ganderbal district by two methods: They approach the owners through their agents, fix double or triple the market value and release their payment on the condition that the extra amount would be shared between the officials and the owners on 50:50 basis. The land owners readily agree as it is a win-win situation for both”, revealed a well-informed official source. He added that even different types of government land at several places had been fraudulently shown as “private land” and the compensation thereto had been drawn from the treasury and shared with local operatives of the mafia.

He claimed that just one Revenue official, enjoying even an honest Minister’s goodwill, had earned over Rs 3 Crore in the dubious land acquisition for the highway and the same official had purchased land under benami arrangement for himself at several places in Ganderbal-Kangan belt---as much as 18 Kanal at one spot. Same Kashmir Administrative Service official, according to informed sources, is now assiduously making plans to go for private land acquisition. Sources revealed that the Revenue officials calling the shots in the whole deal had even prepared an alternative plan, in case Government decided to acquire its own land in the Rakhs. In this case, a fixed amount of Rs 40,000 per Kanal would be paid on the Rakh-e-Aarth pattern to the licensed farmers who have taken possession of the Rakh land in the last over 100 years and have been paying a minor amount annually to the Department of Rakhs and Farms.

Though only 800 Kanal of such government land is under the legitimate possession of bona fide farmers in Rakh-e-Kurhama, Ganderbal Revenue authorities have already shown as much as 1300 Kanals under such occupation. Currently agents are being created with the plan that they would project themselves as bona fide occupants of the land and claim Rs 40,000 per Kanal. Sources said that this fraudulently drawn money would be shared on 25:75 basis. Rs 30,000 per Kanal would straightaway go to the Revenue authorities. “That is exactly what was done in Rakh-e-Aarth, where Lakes and Waterways Development Authority is currently raising a colony on 7,000 Kanals of land”, revealed the sources.

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