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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Jarkiholi is my colleague, don’t see us as enemies: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has stated that Satish Jarkiholi and he are colleagues and not enemies.
Speaking to presspersons here, Shivakumar questioned the media for portraying tension between the two leaders. “It is true that Satish Jarkiholi and I met at a wedding last night. We discussed the state and the party. Satish Jarkiholi and I are colleagues. Why do you see us as enemies?” he asked.
Shivakumar was responding to queries near the new Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) office on Thursday.
When asked about Jarkiholi’s visit, he said, “We attend cabinet meetings in the afternoon, we meet for dinner, we meet for breakfast in the morning; these interactions are normal. In politics, friendship, relationships, and closeness always exist.”
He added, “Now, M.B. Patil and I spoke for about an hour about how to attract investors to the state, how Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are competing with us. A global conference will be held in Telangana soon, and we discussed how Karnataka should compete at the global level. It is natural to discuss the state’s progress this way.”
Speaking about the inauguration of the new KKRDB office, he said, “Businessmen in Karnataka should be respected. Their work should be facilitated, officers’ visits should be convenient, and files should be cleared quickly. The state government has built a new KKRDB office under the leadership of M.B. Patil. They had been in a rented building for so long; now they have their own office. It is close to Vidhana Soudha, bus and railway stations.”
When mediapersons asked about, leader of opposition, R. Ashoka’s comments regarding the Upalokayukta report that allegedly shows 63% corruption in the state, Shivakumar retorted, stating that, “It’s a pity that R. Ashoka doesn’t know the time period the report covers. Let him first read the report. Let him raise the issue in the session, and we will answer there.”
On whether a date has been fixed for the all-party delegation’s visit to Delhi, he said, “We still need to discuss it. The Union Minister said he is busy with the Parliament session, so we postponed the meeting scheduled for December 8. He had written a letter about this. The Prime Minister has a meeting with Prahlad Joshi. Nirmala Sitharaman has to introduce a bill that day. Somanna also said he will not be able to attend. A date will be fixed that is convenient for all of us.”
