Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Feb, 19
Alleging illegal occupation of Govt Bungalows, State and Forest lands by ex-MLAs/ex-Ministers of BJP, scores of Panther activists led by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman-JKNPP & former Minister staged a vociferous protest demonstration outside the ACB (Anti Corruption Bureau) in Jammu today. While raising slogans, the protesters sought immediate ACB probe against the corrupt politicians who were enjoying immunity against their misdeeds. The protestors clashed with the contingent of police huge deployed outside ACB Complex at Jammu.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that J&K provided the most glaring example of patronized corruption and mis-rule. He expressed his dismay over the open violation of SOPs and guidelines in the matter of allotment of government accommodation so as to confer undue and illegitimate benefits upon the political persons owing allegiance to a particular party. “ It was shocking to note that BJP leaders who were not holding any position in government and fell in common man’s category were occupying not only ‘Special Type’, ‘A-type’ Estates mansions but many of them were still living in Ministerial Bungalows. And while the opposition leaders including ex-Ministers and heads of recognized political parties were hounded out of Estates quarters’ years back through police force, the said BJP workers were allowed to retain the same thereby providing the most glaring example of present govt’s dictatorial and autocratic policies besides being indicative of patronized corruption in BJP rule”, divulged Singh.
Referring to the reply in response to RTI filed by him, he revealed that several BJP workers who never became even a Sarpanch in life time have been allotted Estates Bungalows which continue to be retained by them without paying even a single penny as rent.
Asserting that RTI reply had further made a startling revelation with regard to huge arrears of rent of the BJP leaders Mr. Singh said that as and when the issue of illegal occupation of Estates quarters was raised by the public and the media, the Estates Department issued notices of eviction as an eyewash and window dressing for the gullible. He said that despite five consecutive notices issued by Estates Department to the said un-authorized occupants since 21-09-2018, the much needed eviction had not been effected due the collusion between officers and such illegal occupants. Admonishing the govt for failing to retrieve the encroached State lands from the BJP Ministers, MLAs and MPs, he said though the administration had identified some of the big encroachers of parties like Congress, NC and PDP but seemed to have given a free hand to the notorious land grabbers of the BJP. He regretted while the names of political leaders hailing from the opposition parties have been brought to fore as land grabbers in the public domain, the BJP leaders were being sheltered and exclusively spared. He revealed that one BJP ex-MLA had encroached 32 kanals and 9 marlas State land under his illegal possession including 9 kanals and 14 marlas usurped under Roshni scheme. He further pointed out that several other BJP leaders including Ex-Ministers and Ex-MLAs encroached State and Forest lands all over by coercion and other unlawful means, claimed Harsh. Seeking a probe by ACB into the illegal occupation of government property, State and Forest lands by BJP ex-Ministers and MLAs, Mr. Singh called for punitive action against the corrupt politicians and unscrupulous officers who had made mockery of the system while enjoying the patronage of their political bosses.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Rajesh Padgotra, Parshotam Parihar, Surinder Chouhan, Yashpaul Sharma, K.K Sharma, Shankaar Singh Sanju, Khajoor Singh, Ravinder Jamwal, Rakesh Gupta, Mohinder Singh, Vishab Singh, Parladh Singh, Khatib Hussain, Rashpaul Singh, Karan Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Vijay Singh, Sohan, Lal, Gurdeep Singh Raju, Vijay Kumar, Bablu Kumar besides others.
