Rising Kashmir: Srinagar:
Friday, April 04, 2014.
The
government has allotted two custodian properties in violation of norms to
Younis Gul, the son of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mubarak Gul, an
RTI reveals.
According to
a reply to Muhammad Afzal Parray’s RTI application, the office of the Custodian
Evacuee Property Department of Kashmir has allotted two custodian properties
including 2 kanal land to Younis in violation of the custodian law.
Under the RTI
application, Parray had sought the status of 18 kanals custodian land belonging
to migrant Mehraj-ud-Din at Indra Nagar in uptown area of Srinagar.
Parray had
also sought information if the Custodian department had allotted any other
property to Younis as 2 kanal custodian land was already allotted to him at
Indra Nagar.
In reply to
the application, under letter No CEPS/ LS/ 3258 dated March 14, 2014, it came
to fore that the Custodian department, violating norms had allotted the two
custodian properties to Younis at two different places, while Custodian Act
does not allow two properties to be allotted in favor of one person.
The RTI
reveals that 2 kanal custodian land at Indra Nagar and one hutment at Majeed
Bagh in Sanat Nagar had also been allotted in favour of Younis.
The RTI
reveals that the hutment allotted in favor of Younis is presently in the name
of his mother.
Parray said
after 2 kanal were already allotted to the Younis at Indra Nagar, locals
resented the move and did not let him occupy the land as they had been
demanding that a park and a community hall be set up for the locals on that
custodian land.
However, the
Army occupied the land but they evacuated it after locals demanded their
removal from the land, Parray said.
He said
afterward, the Custodian department invited bids to auction the land.
I along with
some senior citizens went to the Chief Minister’s office where Omar Abdullah
assured us that the land will be used for parking purposes and a community hall
will also be set up at the place,” he said.
After the
chief minister’s intervention, all the auction bids were withdrawn and all the
deposited money refunded to the bidders.
The RTI
reveals that despite the instructions from the Revenue Minister, the government
failed to start work to set up a marriage hall on the land during the past two
years.
Parray said
if there was a stay on 2 kanal custodian land, why had work not started on the
remaining 16 kanal.
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