STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Alleging “massive encroachment” of State land, the CAG has pulled up Jammu Development Authority (JDA) for failing to demarcate 7,243 acres of its land and asked the State Government to direct the authority to register the land and take its possession.
“The State Government transferred over 9,479 acres of land during years 1974 and 2003 to JDA for all round development of Jammu city,” the CAG said in its report for the year ended 31st March, 2015.
The report, which was tabled in the Assembly, said, “Audit observed that the land measuring 7,243 acres had not been demarcated.”
The authority was not able to get the entire land transferred by the State Government in its name and take physical possession thereof, it said.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) expressed concern that out of demarcated land measuring over 2,235 acres, 351 acres had been encroached upon and remained under illegal occupation.
As the audit body sought a clarification from authorities over massive encroachment of the land and failure of demarcation of 7,243 acres of land transferred by the government, Director Land Management (DLM) stated that 235 acres of encroached land has been retrieved and the rest was under unauthorised occupation.
DLM further said the authority had been in active correspondence with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of Jammu and Samba for demarcations of the land. CAG further pointed out that the land acquisition proceedings at 13 places involving 1,213 acres of land were stalled due to faulty land acquisition process. The Collector Land Acquisition (CLA) attributed the failure of land acquisition to the litigations, non-availability of funds, non-finalisation of acquisition cases by higher authorities, CAG said.
The audit body said that the reply was not convincing as no land could be acquired by JDA during the five-year period from 2009 to 2014 as a result of which actual development could not take place as conceived in the masterplan. Expressing serious concern, the CAG said 86 acres of land has been re-occupied by people out of the 1,234 acres of land acquired by JDA at Sidhra in the outskirts of Jammu city.
CAG further pointed out that 51 acres of land was re-occupied by its ex-owners out of the 87 acres, even after its acquisition and making final awards. Acquisition of land in Channi Rama, Bahu Rakh and Nagrota are pending due to a stay issued by the High Court and case of land acquisition at Kot Purkhoo measuring 138 acres of land is pending with Financial Commissioner (Revenue), it said.
