Srinagar, 12-Jan: Apni Party Vice President, and Former Minister, Choudhary Zulfikar Ali has demanded investigation over the demolition of residential houses belonging to Tribal Community in Roop Nagar by Jammu Development Authority.The Former Minister has said that the tribal families were living there from the last 100 years as claimed by them in their statements to the media.“If their claims are right, the Govt must hold a detailed investigation in the issue so that the factual situation could be brought out. The JDA could have provided housing facilities to the nomads instead of displacement in a situation,” he said.He said that the gimmick of empowering tribals with political reservation has been exposed and the Govt must come out with the factual report so that the people are not made to suffer in future.He further questioned the silence of the political parties. “The political party which got a major share of the Tribal Community never cared for them. The tribal community members who live in the peripheral areas of Jammu have become easy targets of the communal forces who want to disturb peace for one reason or other,” he said.He said that the Apni Party stands united with the tribal people against these elements who are bent upon creating division in the society.He said that the Forest Rights Act provides an opportunity to put claims before the committee formed by the Government to settle the claims on the forest land.“If the JDA has gone ahead with the demolition violating norms, the Govt must hold erring officials responsible,” he said.He urged for immediate intervention of LG Manoj Sinha into the incident and demanded resettlement of the uprooted nomads on the same place and the regularization of land in their name.(CNS)
