Multiple raids on serving, retired revenue officials to to trace missing revenue records

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 20:  A team of revenue officials along with Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday conducted raids at multiple locations in Jammu district in connection with the missing revenue records.

Sources said that this followed complaints lodged with the government in the recent past regarding encroachments on state land and incidents of land grabbing by anti-social elements in connivance with revenue officials; The joint teams conducted simultaneous raids at the premises of field officials of the revenue department responsible for safe custody of land records like lathas (maps) containing details of ownership and other revenue details across Jammu West, North, South and on the outskirts.

The raiding parties even conducted searches at the residential premises of some retired revenue officials who were alleged to be involved in tempering and misplacing of the revenue to benefit the land grabbers, sources said.

On November 5 last, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Dr Raghav Langer, taking strong note of the missing of vital revenue records of Sunjwan and Chowadhi villages in Bahu tehsil, had directed the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Jammu South, to get an FIR registered against the accused with the police. Since then, many revenue officials including patwaris, girdawars, naib tehsildars and tehsildars had been on government radar in the matter.

However, in December last, the Revenue Department claimed to have traced 95 per cent of lathas and mussavis for most of the villages in Jammu district where land records were reportedly missing or in dilapidated condition.