How the officials of the Thesil in Bijnore were facilitating the occupants of enemy properties to grab the precious immovable wealth at prime locations came to the fore during a complaint filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The Thesil officials were found to be hand-in-glove with the owners who did not even paid the rent for the last over five decades. Surprisingly, even when the matter was brought to the notice of the officials from time to time and directions were given to realise the dues, they pushed the files under the carpet reportedly after collecting hefty sum as Rssuvidha sulk’.
Information Commissioner, Hafiz Usman, after learning about the above Rssyndicate’ between the thesil officials and owners of enemy property, had ordered a high level probe by the district magistrate of Bijnore. He directed to take stern action against those held guilty in the probe besides charging the entire dues from the tenants as well as to get the properties evicted by them as they had flouted the norms of lease on which they were given possession of enemy properties.
Usman also claimed to have ordered the DM to form a committee which would look that how many enemy properties were in possession of persons who had either not deposited rent or were living even after openly flouting lease agreement. He claimed that what is interesting that even when a minimum of rent has been fixed for such properties which the lease holders had to pay but a cursory glance into the pending dues in Bijnore pointed that several crores of rupees were still pending to be paid but the authorities took no legal action to realise it so far.
Reports said that a social activist in Bijnore had filed an application under the RTI with the Nagina thesil, seeking information about the names of lease holders of enemy property in the district along with details of how much rent they had to pay, how much amount were pending as dues and since what time the lease holders had not paid any money etc. The social activists also sought information regarding action taken against the defaulters as well against the officials who either had adopted lethargic approach or had connived with the defaulters for personal gain.
Usman claimed that when the local administration refused to given any reply, the complainant filed an appeal in his court so he summoned some records and was shocked to found that majority of lease holders had not paid any money from last five to six decades and that the authorities had not taken a single action in the matter. Citing an example which came before him, Information Commissioner said that Abdul Rehman and Abdul Rahim, who went to Pakistan during partition, owned four prime properties, one in Sayyedbada and three in Pahadi Darwaza area, in Bijnore.
These properties were leased out to Naeem Ahmed & Tanveer Ahmed in Sayyedbada, Khursheed in Pahadi Darwaza and two in the name of Ansar Ali also in Pahadi Darwaza area. These properties were leased out in 1960 and 1962. However, since the lease period, the holders not paid any thing as rent and calculation of outstanding dues as provided by the tehsil office showed that had to pay about Rs 34 lakh just as dues.
This amount not included any fine or interest which should be imposed for not paying the dues in time. Usman said that what is also to be mentioned here that not even the rent of these properties have been revised for last many years and the owners seems to have got the properties at peanuts. He claimed to have directed DM of Bijnore, to conduct an in-depth probe, realised the pending dues and to get the properties evicted. Besides, stern action must be also taken against the officials who would be held guilty in the enquiry.