Tahir Hussain Mir
Bandipora, January 20: It seems an unending land dispute between the villagers of Potshay and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Bandipora as the dispute seems not to get resolved from past one decade.
The dispute started in 2002 when the KVK Bandipora approached the villagers of Potshay to donate some Kahcharie land meant for the grazing of cattle from decades for building a permanent Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
In 2005, the villagers decided to donate 450 Kanals of Kahcharie land to the department and the State cabinet also approved the transfer of 450 Kanals of Shamilat Mehfooz Kahcharie land under Cabinet decision No.47/3 dated 18/04/2005 issued under Govt order No. Rev-S/174 of 2005 ,dated 01/07/2205 to KVK, but challenged the transfer of grazing land to the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in JK High Court and got the order stayed in 2008.
Though the court stayed the decision of land transfer, KVK constructed buildings on the transferred land and also continued its functioning from the same buildings.
In 2012 few petitioners withdrew their writ petition and the High Court disposed off the writ petition directing SKAUST to make KVK fully functional. In compliance to the said Court directions, the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora issued an order No.DCB/LC/2014/1342-47 dated 21-1-2014 to safe guard the assets of the KVK and constituted a team under the close supervision of Tehsildar Bandipora for ensuring completion of the fencing of KVK land.
The DC’s orders were soon quashed by the High Court again after few petitioners who earlier refused to withdraw approached the court again. The JK High Court directed to demolish the construction raised on the piece of land. Furthur the administration was directed to allow the petitioners to use this piece of land for grazing purpose of their cattle for which said land has been reserved.
It was also directed by the court that if Krishi Vigyan Kendra requires land, an alternate arrangement be made for grazing purpose of the livestock of villagers.
Locals, however, told Kashmir Convener that on January 1, 2019, some officials of the District Administration along with KVK employees of Bandipora's came to take the possession of land for building the boundary around 450 kanals disputed land without providing alternative grazing land to the villagers.
Eye witnesses said after facing resistance from the locals, civil officer accompanied by Police and CRPF tried to forcibly start fencing by violating the court order which triggered tension and lead to clashes between the local Villagers and the District administration in which many villagers were injured and some government employees were also hurt.
Following the incident, the KVK lodged two Fir's against the villagers of Pautshai in Police station Bandipora vide Fir. No.2/2019 under section 147,148, 336, 353 & 3PPD act and Fir. No.4 /2019 under section 307, 147 ,148 ,336 ,353 & 3PPD act in which a dozen of persons were arrested by the Police.
Locals alleged that the District Administration is violating the High Court order and is forcibly trying to grab the grazing land meant for out cattle. "They should provide us the alternative grazing land for our cattle and we will not let our cattle to die,” locals said alleging that district administration is terrifying locals by arresting elderly persons to grab land illegally and against court orders.
“We will follow the final Court Order when it comes and the administration should also respect the existing Court Order untill the final decision comes,” said one of the petitioner Ghulam Hassan Parray.
The Assistant Commissioner Revenue department Bandipora told Kashmir Convener that there are latest guidelines of High Court in which only the previous order of Deputy Commissioner Bandipora has been put on status quo wherein it has been said that if there is any encroached land that comes in the 450 Kanal demarcated land that should not be touched and rest the Administration can proceed on. “We are ready to consider any genuine demands and grievances of the locals if any. The Administration has provided them more than 100 kanals of alternative grazing land on the left side of KVK which is sufficient for them,” he added.
