Over 867 Kanals allotted to 7 societies in Jammu;CAG indicts JDA for brazen lapses in land use

 vivek sharma
JAMMU: In absence of any policy with regard to allotment of plots, Jammu Development Authority (JDA) is under close scanner for allotting land randomly on the basis of applications received and failing in cross checking the land thus leased.
According to Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India’ Report, tabled during just concluded Assembly session, the JDA allotted 867.90 Kanals of land to seven societies andtrusts between September 2002 and December 2010 at varying concessional rates.
The CAG report says that information whether or not the lessees utilized the land for the purpose it had been leased out was not available with the JDA.
Audit noticed that no mechanism for ensuring fulfillment of post allotment conditions of lease deeds exists in the ogransiation. No follow-up action was taken against the lessees to rectify the lapses noticed in selected four cases, the report revealed.
Dwelling upon the allotments, the CAG report states that land was allotted to Late Bhagat Chajju Ram Memorial Trust; Vitasta Health Care Trust; Sant Shri Asa Ram Bapu Trust; Bhartiya Yog Sansthan; Samaj Kaliyan Kendra; Jammu Dental Charitable Trust and Shree Chander Chinar Bada Akhara Udaisin Trust.
In reply to audit-paras, it was stated that these allotments were made after proper verification. The CAG, however, did not found replies convincing as the JDA was yet to come up with a policy for leasing out land to trusts.
The CAG’s team of auditors also noticed that without ascertaining legal status of the societies and without ensuring fulfillment of mandatory conditions for setting up medical charitable trust/ college, the Authority allotted land measuring 250 kanals located at Nagrota to a society for establishment of hospital-cum-medical college for a period of 40 years at a concessional premium of Rs. 0.25 lakh per kanal in December 1994. The land was allotted on the basis of Letter of Intent without execution of lease deed in anticipation of clearance from Medical Council of India (MCI). The auditors noticed that the allottee had failed to obtain mandatory clearance from the MCI for setting up medical college for the past 20 years.
Though the Health Department had directed the JDA in October 1999 to cancel the allotment for delay in payment of outstanding premium, rent and interest in respect of allotted land but no action was taken for retrieval of the land.
The outstanding premium and interest of Rs. 62.11 lakh was paid between February and March 2013 by the allottee after lapse of over 20 years. Further the allottee, being a Society which changed its status to a Trust in October 2013 through execution of Trust Deed with additional aims and objectives without prior permission from the Authority, the CAG reports.
According to CAG report, after it was pointed out, the Secretary JDA admitted that possession of land had been handed over without execution of lease deed and therefore the matter was being pursued in the Court.