Srinagar: In a significant move, the Jammu & Kashmir government on Tuesday directed departments to compile a list of officers who have authorized execution of works without proper sanction or have created liabilities on account of land acquisition without proper authorization.

The General Administration Department (GAD) today directed all the departments to furnish list of such officers to the Finance Department for appropriate action within one month. “All departments shall compile list of officers who have authorized execution of work(s)/ project(s) without proper sanction or have created/ admitted liabilities on account of land acquisition/ works without proper authorization/authority and furnish the same to the Finance Department for appropriate action within one month,” reads the circular issued by the General Administration Department-.

The GAD has also advised all the administrative secretaries/heads of departments against authorizing the execution of any work/ project without proper authorization and to utilize government land for developmental activities as far as possible. “It shall be ensured that land compensation component is incorporated in the Detailed Project Report(DPR) of all the projects, in case land is required to be acquired,” the circular states.

It is worthwhile to mention that authorization of the competent authority is a prerequisite for ordering execution of work/project. The regulatory regime governing acquisition of land for various developmental projects prescribes utilization of government land, as far as possible, for the purpose of infrastructural development.

Land should ideally be acquired only in case of non- availability/ non-feasibility of government land for execution of the project—

Reader correspondent