E-Paper
Ponds to be freed from encroachments
ADMITTING THAT no solid work for identification of encroached public water bodies (ponds) had been done in Varanasi, the Administrative Member of State?s Revenue Board, T George Joseph said that after identification, such ponds would be freed from encroachment followed by registration of such water bodies in government records.
ADMITTING THAT no solid work for identification of encroached public water bodies (ponds) had been done in Varanasi, the Administrative Member of State’s Revenue Board, T George Joseph said that after identification, such ponds would be freed from encroachment followed by registration of such water bodies in government records.
“Those people, who have got the ownership on public ponds through fake agreements, would not be spared by the government. The concerned officials would cancel the deal and in the next phase, illegal possession would be removed’ he said.
Talking to mediapersons prior to a meeting of administrative officials in the Circuit House here on Sunday, Joseph said much work for identification of illegal possession on public ponds had been done in Allahabad and other districts of the State.
He said that eviction from public ponds was a difficult task as a majority of such ponds had pucca structures. The government was considering to demolish structures and huts of poors would be also removed with some alternative arrangement of rehabilitation for them.
He said that the ancient water bodies mentioned in old government records were being identified throughout the State by the government in the interest of public.
Referring the verdict of the Supreme Court in the Hinch Lal verses Govt’ the Court had directed ‘status quo’ of the pond without any kind of use, possession, sale or agreement, he said such ponds would be registered in government records.
Joseph added, as per ruling of the Supreme Court over the public ponds, the High Court had been persistently monitoring the situation. The situation of Varanasi would be especially reviewed one month later.
Expressing dissatisfaction over illegal possession on public lands in rural areas, he said most land of Gram Samaj had been illegally possessed in villages. After going into land scam of Ghaziabad and Noida, he said, land worth Rs 10000 crore had taken been back into government records. The enquiry of the scam was continuing.
Prior to it, he held a meeting with DM, Rajiv Agrawal and all ADMs and SDMs in the Circuit House and reviewed the pace of revenue collection and condition of public ponds.
