Port Blair, May 05: The Congress Campaign Committee Chairman, A&N Islands Mr. TSG Bhasker on Friday highlighted an important issue regarding conversion/diversion of land for house construction in A&N Islands.
In a letter addressed to the Hon’ble Lt. Governor A&N Islands, Mr. Bhasker said that a large number of people who own hilly and paddy land are facing acute difficulties for constructing their houses in the Islands as they need permission for its diversion from the Revenue Department.
“We came to know that thousands of applications from various land owners are pending in the Office of Assistant Commissioner, South Andaman, Office of the Tehsildar, Port Blair and also in other Tehsil Headquarters of different zones in the Islands”, he added.
He further pointed out that for the last 10 years conversion of land has not been done by the Revenue Department, the reason for which is known to the Revenue Authorities only. As a result, people are facing huge and unprecedented difficulties for the construction of houses in their own land and are in need of conversion orders from the Revenue Department.
“Since 2013 people have been waiting to get conversion orders from the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman District against their application submitted. This kind of inaction from the Revenue Department on diversion cases of the land has put the applicants in a state of depression who, having no other choices, started construction of houses in their own recorded land property without permission. It has been found that many people, after submitting applications to the Revenue Department, have started construction of houses in their own recorded land in anticipation of the permission. A large number of people have also completed the construction work of their RCC building and started living in it years ago”, he exhorted.
Mr. Bhasker further stated that construction of a house is a dream of every citizen so that they can stay in it without depending on others. Few people construct houses by taking loan from the Banks while remaining do construction by using their own savings. Now- a -days population of these islands are increasing day -by – day and owning houses has become challenging specially when members of each family are being multiplied.
He further mentioned that the Revenue Department is not taking necessary initiatives to issue conversion orders when needy people apply for the conversion and instead of processing the application for conversion of land they start harassing the people by pointing out the violations under Section 151 (1) (b) of LR & LRR Rules which is quite unfair.
Hence, Mr. Bhasker requested the Hon’ble Lt. Governor to intervene in the matter and direct the Revenue Department to process all the applications pending with them for conversion/diversion of land for construction of houses. He also requested to give one time exemption to those who have already constructed houses in hilly or paddy land by converting their land as house sites.
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