Jammu: Urging authorities to remove encroachments of proposed school play ground for Government Higher Secondary School Rahya, residents of village Rahya (Bagla) say that local land mafia has been provided a ‘free hand’.
Village Rahya, District Samba, alleged that local land mafia has also constructed several shops on government Khad land under ‘the nose of district administration which has been overlooked by authorities even after 4 years.’
Even after district administration’s directive for removal of encroachments of proposed school play ground ‘nothing has been done on the ground so far.’
“We had approach the district administration and concerned senior police officials but instead of taking action against the land mafia headed by Daljit Singh son of Kartar Singh resident of village Rahya, the administration fails to protect the natural resources including proposed school play ground land and common land from the clutches of the land mafia who have also encroached the natural resources fearless without the control of any authority,” residents of village wishing anonymity told INS.
“The land mafia of the area had already encroached almost 80 Kanals of land proposed for school play ground who also raised construction on the land belong to the water bodies by using muscle power and administrative shelter despite the repeated requests of villagers of Rahya (Bagla),” they disclosed.
They further maintained that GHSS at village Rahya which is catering the students atleast 20 villages. As per the revenue record, the total land belongs to school is 101 Kanals and 1 Marla under Khasra No.2029 min and 2030 min.
They also informed that the concerned Principal of Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) Rahya had already forwarded the issue to Chief Education Officer (CEO) Samba on March16, 2015 but nothing has been done in this context so far despite the directions by the High Court Jammu in its letter No-HSS/R/611-12 dated 25-05-2013 where it was endorsed to DC Samba for necessary action.
The residents of the village Rahya urged upon the Chief Minister Mehboob Mufti and Divisional Commissioner Jammu Dr M K Bhandari to personally intervene in the issue for retrieving of the school land. They further said, “We are still fighting to retrieve the school play ground land but due to the administrative and political, shelter and muscle power, the concerned authorities are still failed to restore the school play ground of the school.
When contacted DC Samba Sheetal Nanda said, “We have already retrieved 20 kanals of school land at Rahya village and demarcating the same and rest of 80 kanals of land was proposed for school which is not handed over to the concerned school by the government so far.”
Referring to another query over illegal construction of shops on state government land by the land mafia in the said area, DC didn’t respond the issue and saying that we are watching such issues in the whole district pertaining to illegal constructions.
