Neighbour offers to gift land parcel after journalist's family loses home in Jammu demolition drive
Jammu (PTI): A day after the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) demolished a house belonging to the father of a journalist during an anti-encroachment drive, a Hindu neighbour on Friday offered to gift a piece of land to the affected family for rebuilding their home.
The demolition exercise in Jammu city has sparked a political controversy, with leaders from across the spectrum visiting the demolition site, expressing sympathy with the affected families, and accusing the authorities of "selective action".
Kuldeep Kumar, accompanied by his daughter Tanya, offered a five-marla plot to the family of the journalist in Jammu's Transport Nagar area.
"I am gifting five marlas of land through my daughter to the family so that my brother can rebuild his house," Kumar told reporters, adding that he would also assist in the construction.
The video of his gift deed to affected family went viral on social media, drawing much praise.
Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, who visited the area and met affected families, termed the demolition "selective" and assured full support to the residents.
"I was pained to see this. Our Prime Minister believes in giving houses to the poor, not demolishing them. We will ensure all help," he said, calling Kuldeep Kumar's gesture a symbol of Jammu and Kashmir’s harmony.
Raina blamed the elected government for the action, saying, "The Lieutenant Governor has not used the bulldozer. I spoke to him and he said no such orders were issued. Where did the order come from? I won’t politicise it."
The journalist said the demolished structure belonged to his father, and the family had lived there for 40 years. "No notice was served. It was selective targeting. Where were the authorities all this time?" he questioned.
An anti-encroachment drive was carried out on Thursday by the JDA, during which bulldozers demolished illegal structures in the Transport Nagar area, amid heavy police presence.
However, residents claimed they had been living in the area for the past four decades and were evicted without prior notice.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress working president Raman Bhalla, who visited the spot, condemned the JDA’s action and demanded accountability.
"Such things should not happen. Due legal process must be followed, and people must be heard. This is an atrocity," he said.
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) delegation led by senior leader Varinder Singh Sonu visited the scene, also terming the exercise a "selective demolition".
"Was only this three-marla house an encroachment? What about big land grabbers? This is shameful," Sonu said.
Saying Chief Minister Omar Abdullah exercises direct control over the JDA as the housing minister, Sonu said the National Conference (NC) government has put salt on the wounds of people, who expected the elected government to heal their scars.
He questioned why action was limited to small landholders. "If encroachments must be removed, remove them from everywhere, including those by the most influential people. You call a three-marla owner a land grabber, but what about palatial houses on hundreds of kanals?" he questioned.
According to the JDA, the demolition drive is part of ongoing efforts to clear encroachments from its land across Jammu.
The Jammu and Kashmir government recently said in the assembly that over 16,000 kanals of JDA land is under encroachment in Jammu.
"The total JDA land under encroachment is 16,212 kanals and two marlas. In respect of Jammu Municipal Corporation, eight kanals and 16 marlas of land at Chatha are under encroachment," read the written reply by the chief minister in the assembly.
Some portion of land was transferred to the JDA along with pre-existing encroachments, it added.
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Junior Hockey World Cup: IndiGo crisis disrupts travel plans of players' families, fans
Chennai (PTI): For Kate, the dream was simple -- to watch her son Fahy Noah play for the Australian team in the Junior Hockey World Cup here and visit the Taj Mahal.
But her plans, like those of many others, have been upended by the operational crisis that has hit IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline.
"I am here for the first time and India is so kind and welcoming. We were hoping to see the Taj Mahal, but with the IndiGo problems, we are a bit scared now," Kate, who has come from Brisbane, told PTI outside the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here.
"One family went on a rest day and got stuck overnight. I think we will have to cancel all our travel plans now, though seeing the Taj Mahal was on my bucket list for long," she said.
ALSO READ: IndiGo fight disruptions: Opposition demands statement from government
This is the first time that 24 teams are participating in the Junior Hockey World Cup, being held in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. For most players and their families, it is their maiden trip to India. Many NRIs have also flown in to support the Indian team.
However, the widespread flight delays and cancellations have thrown schedules into chaos. IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights last week, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms. This resulted in lakhs of passengers getting stuck at airports across the country.
Laura, who has come from Belgium with her entire family to support her son, said they are now travelling by road.
"We are happy to be here in this beautiful country. We went to Munnar and Madurai, and now we are planning to go to Puducherry and Mahabalipuram by road," she said.
"We had taken IndiGo flights earlier, but some other families who travelled on different days got stuck and somehow managed to come back by train. So we are not flying anywhere in India now. Road travel only and then back to Brussels next week," she said.
For 87-year-old Kenyan hockey legend Avtar Singh Sohal, a four-time Olympian and a lifelong supporter of Indian hockey, the crisis was particularly distressing. He spent 12 gruelling hours at the Chandigarh airport on December 4 before finally reaching Chennai just in time for the quarterfinals.
"Our IndiGo flight was delayed by 12 hours. We were at the airport from 7 am to 7 pm. They kept giving excuses -- the aircraft has not arrived, the pilot is not available. We had no idea what was actually happening," he said.
Accompanying Sohal was 85-year-old Tarlok Singh Mandair, a former treasurer of the English Hockey Association, who had flown in from London.
"It was a horrible experience. They kept changing the timings from 12 noon to 4 pm and we finally took off at 7:20 pm. They gave us sandwiches which were not even good," Mandair recalled.
"Our return flight is also on IndiGo, but now we are exploring other options," he said.
Jujhar Singh Plaha, 86, from London, who was on the same flight, said his excitement has turned into anxiety.
"We were so excited about this trip; hockey is our first love. But this (IndiGo crisis) spoiled our mood. Now we are worried about returning because at our age, we cannot travel long distances by train or road," he said.
Jason, the father of Australian player Roger Lachlan, has had an eventful trip to India so far -- beginning with the rain in Chennai triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
"We are from Hobart -- home of Ricky Ponting and David Boon. We arrived after a cyclone, which caused heavy rain. Now the sun is out and we are enjoying ourselves," he said with a smile.
Jason, too, has shelved all further travel plans.
"No sightseeing now. We will just eat, swim and head back. I am loving masala dosa, masala tea and curries," he said.
Some fans from Bengaluru, who had booked their flight tickets months in advance, decided not to take a risk. They opted for refunds and drove down to Chennai on Sunday to catch the semifinal.
"With flight uncertainty and trains full, we drove down. We did not want to miss India in the semis," said Vinod Chinnappa, who drove for six hours to come here.
Even officials have not been spared by the flight disruptions.
Digvijay Singh, an official of the Hockey India League franchise, waited eight hours at the Patna airport to catch a flight to Chennai.
"I did not want to miss the India-Belgium quarterfinal, so I waited. I finished all episodes of (web series) Family Man at the lounge," he said.
"I had gone to Patna from Delhi for a meeting earlier in the day and then needed to connect to Chennai," Singh said.
With the World Cup set to wrap up in two days, uncertainty about people's plans to return home looms large.
With prices of alternative flights rising and train seats nearly impossible to find, fans, officials, families and journalists are monitoring travel apps as closely as match updates.
If the situation does not improve soon, returning home could be as challenging as winning matches on the field.
