KL Report
SRINAGAR
J&K State Vigilance Organization has registered a case (FIR 6/2014) against the senior functionaries of Revenue Department and an influential liquor baron of Jammu Bansi Lal Gupta, Srinagar news-gatherer CNS reported.
Details revealed that a complaint was lodged by Professor S K Bhalla against the liquor baron and senior IAS officer then posted in Jammu for conferring ownership rights in respect of land measuring 5 kanal and 2 marlas comprised in khasra number 781 sitauted at village Deeli (Marble Market) Jammu.
After verification, SVO found the beneficiary lacked any khasra gridwari (Revenue extraction) to the said land and as per Roshni Act, this was sufficient for the Revenue officers to reject the case of Bansi Lal Gupta.
It was also found that the state government had transferred land measuring 154 kanals and 5 marlas in khasra number 781 way back in 2004 and there was an entry in the name of Jammu Development Authority (JDA) in ownership column, but the Patwari concerned did not mention that the girdawari for the land in question has not been made in the name of the applicant (beneficiary). The land actually belonging to JDA and was exempted from the preview of the Roshni scheme.
The then District Collector for Jammu vide order number DCJ/HQA/Roshni/08/676-77 dated 9/6/2008 conferred ownership rights to Lal. It followed the price determination committee meeting headed by then Divisional Commissioner Jammu.
The investigation has started after the case formally being registered under section 5 (1) (d) read with section 5 (2) prevention of corruption act 2006 and section 120 B RPC and section 17 of J&K state land (vesting of ownership to the occupants) act 2001. Apart from the liquor baron, those in the problem include the then Divisional Commissioner Jammu Sudhanshu Pandey, the then Deputy Commissioner Jammu Hirdesh Kumar Singh, the then vice chairperson JDA Sarita Chouhan and many others.
