CBI begins probe into violations of Patnitop master plan

Tribune News Service

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Jammu, January 15

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started preliminary inquiry into alleged violations of master plan of the Patnitop area by hotel owners in Jammu and Kashmir.

The probe has been initiated on the orders of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on December 31 last year. The Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rajesh Bindal, had referred the issue of illegal constructions at Patnitop to the CBI for an in-depth probe.

An official statement issued by the CBI said, “A preliminary inquiry has been registered on orders December 31, 2019, of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir at Jammu into the alleged violations of the master plan of the Patnitop area (Jammu & Kashmir) by hotel owners and commercial establishment owners, in conspiracy with public servants serving at the Patnitop Development Authority and others.”

The order has been passed on a PIL filed by the president of the Hotel & Restaurant Association, Patnitop, wherein he has alleged about glaring violation of the master plan of the Patnitop area, resulting in 70 per cent of the hotels and restaurants having been constructed without permission, the statement said.

Further, he had alleged that constructions have been illegally done on green buffer areas, forest land, state land, including kahcharai land, in connivance with officials of the Patnitop Development Authority and others.

The CBI has constituted a team of more than 30 officials who were presently camping at Patnitop, Udhampur and Jammu in connection with the inquiry.

The Division Bench had said the CBI was required to go into all aspects of the matter, including the manner in which the building permissions and licences had been granted within the jurisdiction of the Patnitop Development Authority.

“The CBI is also required to examine the aspect of encroachment on forest land and other public land; illegal change of use and misuse of the land in violation of the permitted user; raising of illegal constructions; failure of the authorities to take action; fix the responsibility of the persons who were at the helm of affairs, were duty bound to and responsible for their taking action; their failure to proceed in accordance with law on issues regarding several aspects relating to the illegal constructions compounding and misuse thereof and; any other illegality which is revealed during the course of the enquiry,” it had said.