Vrindavan, 2017.09.10 (VT):f Ordinary people are now getting the results of being manipulated by an unholy alliance bringing together bureaucrats, politicians and criminal property dealers.
For the past twenty years, land on the floodplain has been subjected to illegal development with the tacit or direct complicity of the district administration. If proper action had been taken at the proper time, those who are now losing their homes would not have been placed in this situation today.
A large part of the Yamuna floodplain on the Vrindavan side of the river is technically under the jurisdiction of other municipalities like Jahangirpur, Mant, Panigaon and Rajpur. As a result the Department of Revenue, Irrigation Department and MVDA overlooked their responsibilities, which gave crooked land dealers the opportunity to occupy the floodplain land and conduct their business there.
This all started around 1995 when a number of wealthy and influential people started to buy and sell property on the floodplain, making a lot of money. They convinced people of the legality of their actions by getting the municipality to provide water and sewer line, electricity connection and the construction of roads from legislators’ discretionary funds. The High Court’s decision has now shut the door on this illegal development.
So now many questions are being asked about who is going to be held responsible for this unnecessary suffering.
Officers sent notice but did not stop the construction
In 2003, the administration issued notices to 63 people after receiving complaints about the construction of residential colonies in the Yamuna floodplain. In 2010, summons were sent to 87 people. But land sales and construction continued unabated. Madhumangal Shukla filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court in 2010 for a ban on construction in the floodplain, but no further steps were taken.
ADM orders identification of Land Mafias.
ADM (Finance) Rabindra Kumar has given administration officers from different government departments of the district to 24 hours to identify land mafias. He said he would tolerate no lassitude in this matter. This work of identifying criminal activity in land dealing will be finalized on Sunday.
Many complaints have been received that people in positions of authority, especially in gram panchayats and local bodies, are taking illegal possession of government land.
On Saturday, ADM Finance held a meeting with officials of the concerned departments at the Collectorate in Mathura. Officials were told that they should thoroughly investigate that no one has been using their authority to illegally occupy land under the jurisdiction of their department. Such people should be identified and immediately put on the land mafia criminal list. If anyone is shown to be negligent in this work, strict action will be taken. A 24 hours deadline has been set after which, a review will be conducted.
The post Delayed action on floodplain causing undue suffering appeared first on Vrindavan Today.