Encroachment of public parks by security tents of VVIPs DB issues notices to Secy Home, DGP, others
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In an order of far reaching public importance, a Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Justice Musaffar Hussain Attar and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal on Tuesday issued notice in a PIL filed by RTI activist Balwinder Singh highlighting encroachment of public parks in Jammu city by the security personnel of various VVIPs by installing tents in a portion of these parks thereby disturbing the green belt of the city.
After hearing Advocate Paras Gupta appearing for the petitioner, the Division Bench in the Open Court issued notice to the Principal Secretary Home, Commissioner/Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department, Managing Director J and K Housing Board, Director Floriculture Department Jammu, Director General of Police J and K and ADGP Security, J and K for their response and further directed the listing of the petition in the week commencing 6th July, 2015.
Advocate Paras Gupta drew the attention of the Court to the RTI disclosure wherein the Floriculture Department has indicated the names of 17 VVIPs whose security personnel have installed tents for the last more than 10 years in the parks of Floriculture Department thereby disturbing the green belt of the area.
The names of the said VVIPs include S.S Wazir ex-Addl DGP, Dr. A.S Anand, former Chief Justice of India, Sunil Sharma SSP, Depinder Kour ex-MLC, M.M Kajooria ex-DGP, Justice G.D Sharma (retd), Justice K.K Gupta (retd), Harbans Singh ex-MLC and Minister, Chief Electoral Officer J and K, Vigilance Commissioner J and K, R.S Chib ex-Minister, Guest House of Central Govt. Officers, Hamid Ullah Khan (ex-Adviser), Devinder Rana (ex Adviser to CM)/MLA Nagrota, Guest House of Central Govt. Officers, Manmohan Singh ( ex-SSP) and Sanjeev Gupta District and Sessions Judge, Jammu.
Advocate Paras Gupta submitted that the police guards guarding the life of aforementioned VVIPs have occupied the public parks and have set up their tents besides toilet/bathroom and he further submitted that it is settled position that the security personnel deputed with the VVIPs should accommodate in the houses of the concerned VVIPs but instead of that they are staying outside by put up their tents in public places/parks. He further submitted that the public parks have been encroached in posh localities of Green Belt area of Gandhi Nagar and Channi Himmat, Jammu and the said encroachment is a grave nuisance for the inhabitants of these localities.
In the PIL, the petitioner has prayed for the removal of the encroachments in the these parks by the security personnel of the aforementioned VVIPs and direction to the Floriculture Department and MD Housing Board to maintain all the public parks in good hygienic condition and not to allow any encroachment on any portion of these parks.
