Veeri has 'no idea' about predecessor's assurance on inquiry into 'Roshni Scam'

DEEPAK KHAJURIA

JAMMU: Incumbent Revenue Minister, Abdul Rehman Veeri was caught unaware about an assurance given by the former Revenue Minister, Syed Basharat Bukhari to probe into the much-publicized Roshni Scam, thus giving enough hints about the non-seriousness of the PDP-BJP government to control the corruption.
On the floor of the house in the State Assembly in Srinagar, 18-months back, the then Revenue Minister, Syed Basharat Bukhari had assured to order a probe into the Roshni Scam.
One and half year later, when this reporter wanted to know the status of the enquiry from the incumbent minister for Revenue, Abdul Rehman Veeri, he said, "I've no idea about the inquiry report. I will let you know after checking the details from my officials."
"There are several individual inquiries under process in State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) and Crime Branch regarding separate issues concerning Roshni Scheme," sources in the Rural Development Department said, adding neither in the former minister's tenure, nor in the tenure of present minister, any plans were made to hold an inquiry.
It is worth mentioning here that the ex-Revenue Minister, Syed Basharat Bhukari told the Assembly in June 2016, "The government will order an inquiry, as the scheme has generated only Rs 78.47 crores instead of Rs 25,000 crores, thus killing its very purpose."
The then minister said in the assembly that 19,293 Kanals of state land had been transferred among 10,328 beneficiaries in Kashmir region and 2, 10, 398 Kanals among 39,829 beneficiaries in Jammu Province. He added that Rs 54 crore revenue had been generated in Kashmir and Rs 24 crore in Jammu region.
The Minister announced to hold the inquiry after some of the BJP and PDP legislators brought this issue before the State Assembly that huge bungling had been committed in allotting land under the Act to beneficiaries, especially politicians and bureaucrats.
But, as on date, the government has not ordered any independent inquiry or even at the departmental level.
Later, in February 2017, in a minor reshuffle in the port-folios, Basharat Bukhari was given the Horticulture Department and Revenue Department was given to senior PDP minister, AR Veeri. Sources said that the incumbent minister has not initiated any inquiry into the alleged bungling in the allotment of lands under the Roshni Scheme.
Since, PDP-BJP Coalition Government was formed in J&K in March 2015, the Revenue Department remains with PDP and PDP had changed three ministers in last less than three years.
Official sources also said that the PDP-BJP coalition government even said that it would initiate an inquiry into Roshni Scheme implemented by former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, under which thousands of acres of land was transferred to illegal occupants at nominal prices for regularization.
The Revenue Dept sources said that the beneficiaries of the scheme include ministers, former ministers, politicians, police officers, bureaucrats and many other influential people.
In 2014, Principal Accountant General (PAG) had also expressed similar views on the scheme saying that state government had lost Rs 25,000 crore under the Roshni Act. The PAG had described Roshni Act as the biggest land scam ever.


What was Roshni Scheme?

It all was drafted in year 2000 during the National Conference Government under Dr Farooq Abdullah. He had conceived the Roshni Act to generate Rs 25,000 crore for development of power projects in the state sector.
Then in 2001, the state government enacted the law, the J&K state land (vesting of ownership rights to the occupants) act 2001 or Roshni Act. Under the law, people who were occupying state land illegally up to 1990 had to pay about Rs 20 lakh Per Kanal land to get ownership rights. The act was named as Roshni Act so that the revenue generated from it would be used in power sector.
Then finally in May 2005, during Ghulam Nabi Azad's Congress-PDP coalition government, the necessary amendments were brought into the law. It also came up with several clauses making illegal occupants, who had raised residential houses and commercial buildings on the state land illegally, to pay 10 to 15 percent of the total of actual price to get the legal rights of the state land. The final blow was agriculture land. For agriculture land illegal occupant was asked to pay Rs 100 Per Kanal.