The Kashmir Scenario Exclusive
In yet another brazen incident of official apathy, land mafia is on prowl under the noose of government as hundreds of kanals of state land have been taken over by land grabbers
The Kashmir Valley has become a hub of Illegal and Unconstitutional activities. The corruption has been institutionalized in the state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The corruption isn’t confined to the government departments only, but it has taken root among the civilian population. The official apathy, red tapism and bureaucracy add insult to the injury and reinforce the impunity of the corrupt. The menace of Land Grabbing has now taken firm roots in various parts of the Valley. The heart of the Valley, Srinagar is no exception to the same. Land Mafia, along with the influence of the politicians, Municipal Corporation and Revenue department is involved in the land grabbing. In a brazen incident of government land grabbing issue a simpleton Haji Abdul Karim Khuroo has occupied large chunks of government land in Barthana, Srinagar. Khuroo who is a resident of Fruit Mandi Parimpora, has also grabbed land in the lucrative Fruit Mandi too.
The land grabbing by Khuroo goes back to the initial years of the militancy. He along with his son occupied a small portion of government land in what is now known as fruit mandi of Parimpora. From being a simple milkman and shop owner now Khuroo is owner of property worth more than 90 crore. He is a land grabber with influential connections, because despite his brazen land grabbing incidents he stays above the law.
The police and state machinery is mum at his acts of land grabbing. He first grabbed the government land illegally, then along with the revenue department has made revenue and property papers of some of the land, transferring the government land in his own name. To further humiliate and ridicule the institutions of the state, he has even been offered compensation by the government for the land that belongs to the government. He has even been successful in making plush complexes, shops and even sold the land to the third party. Some of his buyers have been granted the legal papers too. These startling revelations came to light when information regarding the land was sought through a RTI application. The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Shalinder Kumar directed Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah and SP (West) Shalinder Mishra too look into the matter. The duo further formed an enquiry committee to look into this land grabbing, headed by Naib Tehsildar, Samiullah. The enquiry was initially delayed by resorting to excuses like elections, weather and preference of other priorities.
The red tapism is evident as one bureaucrat refers to other, passing the buck without taking responsibility of putting a pace to this menace. On 18th March, 2013 the deputy commissioner’s office directed the enquiry team to submit the report regarding the grabbing of grazing land at Barthana, Parimpora including Khasra number 57,25,26. The enquiry team missed its deadline and despite more than two weeks has passed but no enquiry report has been submitted yet. When Kashmir Scenario talked to Samiullah he stated that the enquiry has been complete about the measurement of the land and they are going to submit the report within a day or two. The revenue department is hand in glove with the land grabber, and during the research of this story by Kashmir Scenario team it came to the light that one Pathwari Bashir Ahmad has been vital in helping Khuroo to transfer government land to his name and become its legal heir. Pathwari Bashir Ahmad has been previously suspended in a land grabbing case. No legal action has been ordered against the Pathwari because he happens to be a relative of some minister and the said minister is supporting his relative in this illegal task. When Kashmir Scenario contacted a few shopkeepers
and families they were aghast about the fact that the property they owned is illegal. They intimated the reporters that they were the legal owners of the property. Some of them who didn’t have the papers told us that Khuroo has assured them that nothing untoward will happen to them as they have paid him the money.
When we contacted Bashir Ahmad, President New Kashmir Fruit association, Parimpora, stated that in the past many times Srinagar Development Authority’s demolition team came to demolish the encroachments but each time, they left without demolishing the same. It depicts that they are helpless before Khuroo. Khuroo’s land grabbing isn’t confined to Barthana and Parimpora only, but he has occupied huge amount of land near Hajjm House, Bemina and other areas too. The government is silent and that reinforces the grabber’s belief that he will escape the clutches of law. Land is becoming scare with each passing day, and with the rapid urbanization the problems for Srinagar are becoming compounded. The land grabbing will further aggravate the issues and encourage others to resort to the same. The enquiry must establish certain fair and concrete grounds to punish Khuroo and others of his ilk for grabbing government land and then selling it further, breaching the trust of innocents and swindling their hard earned money.