JAMMU, Jan 3: Amid allegations over alleged irregularities in the allotment of land attached to the Peer Baba Badyal Quazian shrine, SDM RS Pura Anuradha Thakur categorically denied any role of the Revenue Department in the allotment process, asserting that the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board is the sole owner and allotting authority of the land.
The SDM said the role of the Revenue authorities is confined only to demarcation of land, as and when requested by the Waqf Board.
She stated that a detailed report has already been submitted to the Board clarifying that the land in question is agricultural in nature and has been under cultivation by certain families for nearly 70 years.
She further said the administration has formally informed the Waqf Board that around five to six families have been traditionally cultivating the land & to address the grievances of the affected families, the SDM said a committee, including representatives of the Waqf Board, was constituted and its findings were also forwarded to the Board, reiterating that the land is agricultural and under long-term cultivation.
She added that the responsibility regarding allotment rests entirely with the Waqf Board & the Board has already carried out 700 to 800 allotments in Jammu.
Responding to allegations that the land was allotted to a Panchayat Secretary attached to her office and claims of his alleged association with her during an earlier posting, the SDM said this aspect too pertains to the allotting authority and not the Revenue Department.
She added that any decision regarding allotment, beneficiaries or procedure followed has to be examined by the Waqf Board alone, rejecting the allegations of manipulation or wrongdoing attributed to her office.
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