Former J&K Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh Ordered To Demolish His Illegal House

Former J&K Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh Ordered To Demolish His Illegal House

Jammu: Senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh has been ordered to demolish his residential house in Jammu. The former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir had illegally constructed the house near an Army ammunition depot.  

 

The army had objected to the construction and termed it a "potential safety hazard'' in 2018 but Mr Singh completed construction and moved into the house last year.

 

In an order issued by the Jammu Development Authority or JDA, Mr Singh has been asked to demolish the house within five days failing which the enforcement wing of the development authority will demolish the house and the cost of removal will be recovered from him.

According to the JDA, a show-cause notice was also served to the BJP leader before the demolition order but he hadn't responded.

Speaking to NDTV, Nirmal Singh said it is a politically motivated case and he will approach the court against the demolition order.

"Is it just me? There are so many unauthorised colonies in the state. I purchased the land in 2014. There is a registry; I have taken a loan from a bank. This area was included in the JDA after 2017. I had started construction of the house before that. I have been living there for the last two years," he said.

 

The BJP leader alleges that he is being singled out, and there are other powerful people who have constructed bungalows illegally. "It's a politically motivated case. Is this the only house under the JDA's radar? Tell me how many people have been served demolition notices? There are so many illegal colonies. Big names are there who have built houses on forest land," he added.

In 2018, Nagrota-based 16 Corps of Army raised concern over the construction of the house by Mr Singh (then Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir) near the Army's ammunition depot. In a letter, GOC 16 Corps had said constructing the building was a "potential safety hazard" for the depot. 

"The construction is in violation of Works of Defence Act (WoDA) 1903 as also Government of India, Ministry of Defence notification dated 26 September 2002," wrote Lt General Saranjeet Singh.

The Army had said that the construction had implications on the security of a major ammunition storage facility and also the safety of all people living in close vicinity.

Nirmal Singh has built the house on half an acre, which is part of 12 acres of land bought in 2014 by Himgiri Infrastructure Development Pvt Limited, a company whose shareholders include two other senior BJP leaders from Jammu.

The company had also taken a loan of Rs 18.5 crore and a cash credit facility of Rs 56.83 lakh from the Jammu and Kashmir Bank in 2012 to construct a power project in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. It was eventually declared a non-performing asset in 2017.

 

Construction within 1000 yards of the perimeter of the ammunition depot has been prohibited under a notification issued by the Jammu district administration in 2015. The house of Nirmal Singh falls well within the prohibited area. The JDA said Mr Singh has built the house without permission.

In May 2018, in response to a petition filed by the Central government, the Jammu & Kashmir High Court had directed the administration to ensure strict implementation of a 2015 notification prohibiting any construction near the military facility. The petition was filed after local administration and police failed to stop the construction.