Shopian: An impoverished Shopian man who in 2008 donated a precious kanal of his orchard land for construction of a Panchayat Ghar, on the promise of receiving a government job, has since only received electricity bills for the structure that has been constructed there.
Mohammad Lateef Famdah, a resident of Chek-Mirzapur, told Kashmir Reader that he donated one kanal of his apple orchard to the government in 2008 as he was promised that a government job will be given to him.
“Even after more than 12 years, no job was given to me, even though a building for a Panchayat Ghar was raised on my land,” Famda said.
He said that instead of a government job he has been receiving electricity bills for that Panchayat Ghar which was constructed by the government itself.
“I recently received an electricity bill of one lakh rupees, even though it is the government that is using the building,” he told Kashmir Reader.
Famdah said he is a poor man who has to provide for his wife and five daughters and two sons. “Why are the authorities so unmoved even after twelve years of taking over my land? I am a poor man having seven children. Why don’t they provide us a job that was promised to us by the government?” he asked.
He said that the family would have earned at least two meals of the day by growing apple on that land which they donated to the government years ago.
“When the apple picking season arrives, I ruefully watch others and lament that I gave away my land without anything in return,” he said.
Chek-Mirzapur is situated some six kilometers away from Shopian town. Locals of the village also demanded justice for Famdah.
“I knocked the doors of all officials of revenue and panchayat departments but nobody paid heed to me,” Famdah said.

Raashid Hassan