Asks Government To Take Immediate Action On ‘Serious Issue’
Srinagar, Oct 3 (GNS): A report providing list of lessees in Pahalgam by PDA “discloses a terrible state of affairs”, Jammu and Kashmir High Court has said even as it directed authorities to take immediate actions against those holding the land sans lease.
As the hearing of Public Interest Litigation started, a bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta was informed that a compliance report has been filed by the Chief Executive Officer, Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) Mushtaq Ahmad Simnani.
“The list of persons/ lessees is enclosed. It discloses a terrible state of affairs,” the court said.
As per the report, 75 parties are in occupation of 75 plots comprising of 79 kanals 8 marls 7 Sirsai and 4 sft out of which 63 kanals 18 marlas 1 Sirsai and 5 sft has been leased out by the Government.
15 kanals and 10 marlas and 6 Sirsai are encroached upon by different persons, it said.
The PDA said that it has no record of any grant of any lease. The CEO also stated that a series of public notices through the print media were issued for the production of lease documents by the lessees but to “It appears that none of these persons have come forward. These persons are occupying the public property without any legal right to continue and none of these persons are paying a single penny to the Government even though the property is being used for commercial purposes,” the court said.
No action seems to have been taken by the government, the court observed, and termed it as “serious issue which needs immediate attention of the authorities”.
“Inasmuch as the digitized record is in a very bad condition. This matter is adjourned,” the court said as per Global News Service and directed Secretary to Government, Revenue Department to ensure that the proper assistance is rendered to PDA after latter submitted that Revenue Authorities are not cooperating in the matter. (GNS)