It sounds incredible but true, the land mafia with the connivance of Revenue Officers managed to get compensation worth Rs 95 lakh released of state land which was allocated to a landless West Pakistani refugee of the Pargwal area in Akhnoor sub-division.
Sham Lal, son of Badrinath, a poor West Pakistani refugee from the Pargwal area of Akhnoor sub-division of Jammu district, was cultivating that chunk of state land that was allocated to his family to earn their livelihood.
Although the land was allocated to Sham Lal, he was not given ownership rights because it was state land. Local influential land mafia was eying that land after authorities announced to enhance the compensation of land and other properties occupied by the Defence Authorities.
With the connivance of Revenue Officers, the local land mafia changed the title of the state land in their favour and managed to get compensation worth Rs 95 lakh.
Narrating his tale of woes, Sham Lal told Gaon Tribune that tittle of a chunk of land allotted to his family as West Pakistani Refugees has been changed to the name of some local land mafia without any reason.
“With the connivance of the local Revenue officers/officials, the local influential land mafia forcibly encroached the land allotted to our family as West Pakistani Refugees”, Sham Lal alleged, adding, “When we approached the concerned officers they threatened to implicate us in false cases”.
Like scores of unfortunate Hindu and Sikh families, who were forced to leave their homes and hearths due to partition, Sham Lal’s family took shelter in Jammu. Living in abject poverty, the family was allotted some land in the Pargwal area to save them from starvation.
“Since 1947 we have been cultivating the same land and earning our livelihood but recently the title of the land was changed in the name of local land mafia”, he said.
After changing the land title, the claim of Rs 95 lakh compensation was paid to influential persons
According to Sham Lal, the title of the land was changed in favour of the local influential land mafia because the government had initiated the process of revising rates of properties occupied by the Defence authorities.
“Earlier there was no dispute of the land allotted to our family. The day the State Government announced the revised rent of the properties occupied by the defence authorities the influential land mafia with the connivance of local Revenue officers hatched a conspiracy and changed the title of the land in favour of the local land mafia”, he alleged and added that within day after fraudulently changing title the land, the Revenue department made a claim of Rs 95 lakh and paid the same to the land mafia.
“The land was allotted to us but the huge compensation was paid to other persons. This is a glaring example of injustice and nepotism”, he said.
It is widely alleged that officers of the Revenue Department with the connivance of some agents have been making fake rent claims of the properties occupied by the defence authorities.
Recently the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Jammu and Kashmir arrested Parvez Ahmed, Patwari, Halqa Gurha Manhasan, Pargwal, Jammu along with his agent Vijay Kumar alias Babbu (Ex-Panch) for accepting a bribe of Rs 25000.
Anti Corruption Bureau received a complaint alleging therein that Parvez Ahmed, Patwari, Halqa Gurha Manhasan, Pargwal, Jammu was demanding a bribe of Rs 30,000 for entering the Court’s directions in the revenue record with respect to land measuring 17 Marals falling under Khasra No. 654 situated at Gurha Manhasan, Tehsil Pargwal, Jammu.
The complainant requested for legal action against the Patwari concerned as he don’t want to pay bribe.
On receipt of the complaint, a Case FIR No. 07/2024 U/S 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 r/w 120-B IPC was registered at ACB Police Station Jammu.
During the course of the investigatio,n a trap team was constituted which laid a successful trap and caught accused Patwari namely Parvez Ahmed and one Vijay Kumar alias Babbu (Ex-Panch) red-handed on the spot while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant. Both the accused persons were arrested on the spot.
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