Army ‘encroaches upon’ industrial land in Rangreth

Minister for Roads and Buildings, Syed Altaf Bukhari, Friday expressed serious resentment over the alleged illegal occupation of SIDCO land by Army at Industrial Electronic Complex Rangreth here.

Bukhari, accompanied by Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chander Prakash, were surprised to find “unauthorized fencing erected by the Army” on industrial land during their visit to the estate.

“It is not an Indo-Pak border that they (Army) would erect barbed wire fences,” Bukhari said while directing officials to take immediate steps to retrieve the industrial land from the Army.

“This is the prime industrial land and Army cannot occupy it,” he told the officers on the occasion.

Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chander Prakash, asked the estates officer to come up with details of the land so that appropriate steps are taken to retrieve the land.

“I will take up the matter with the concerned quarters,” he said adding that the issue needs to be resolved on priority basis.

The ministers were accompanied by Financial Commissioner Industries and Commerce, Khurshid Ganai, Managing Director SIDCO, Kiyafat Rizvi, General Manager, Aga Ajaz, and other officials from Industries department.

The officials informed the ministers that Army has occupied 31 Kanals of prime land in the estate illegally.

“Last month they erected wire fencing claiming the land as their property which is not the case,” senior officials of the SIDCO informed the ministers.

The officials stated that SIDCO officials asked the Army to vacate their land several times but they didn’t pay any heed.

“On one side we are facing acute shortage of land and on the other side Army is illegally occupying our prime industrial land in the premier industrial estate of Kashmir,” officials said. They urged the ministers to initiate immediate action in the matter.

The state administration has already served a notice to the Army, but they have not even acknowledged the notice and the paper is still hanging on the fence, an official said.

The notice issued by Deputy Commissioner Budgam to the Defence Estates Officer reads: Unauthorized construction of wall on SIDCO land by the Army. This office received a communication No. SIDCO/04/207 dated 01.06.2015 from Managing Director SIDCO regarding the subject captioned above. In this context I am directed to request you to stop the erection of angle iron posts and also restrain from encroaching upon the SIDCO land till the instant issue is settled amicably. Matter is urgent and merits top priority.”