The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), one of the government agencies entrusted by the Rajasthan high court to remove encroachments from Amanishah Nullah, has itself been found involved in the illegality. The authority constructed an international cactus garden at Swarna Jayanti Park in Vidyadhar Nagar, right in the catchment area of the nullah, which is a dry river bed. Besides violating the law forbidding encroachment on a water body, the JDA’s act has resulted in wastage of significant amount of public money spent on building the cactus garden.
“The construction worth approximately Rs 2 crore has been done in the park. The construction of cafeteria, glass house, greenhouse and walkways has been completed,” said an official. It was learnt that the park falls in the catchment area, after the centre line was determined by the MNIT experts. After that the horticulture wing asked the legal cell for its recommendations.
Sources further claimed, “JDA legal cell has now recommended that the garden should not be developed in the catchment area. That means, now cactus will not be planted in the area and the project has been stalled after spending so much money.”
On September 24, 2009, the JDA approved the project during the tenure of Sudhansh Pant, JDA commissioner. After two months orders to widen the nullah were released. However, the project was not stopped.
Even crores of public money is wasted and many housing societies duped the residents in connivance with civic bodies officials , so far , the state government appears to be following a policy of pick and choose in executing the Rajasthan high court orders on encroachments in the city.
The government looks sincere in executing the high court order to evict encroachers from the nullah’s catchment area. At the same time, it has completely ignored a high court judgment of October 2004 that required stern action against its officers in whose tenures encroachments took place.
Sources in the department claimed, “Recently, the single bench of the high court observed that the government has failed to execute the October 2004 judgment, according to which adverse remarks were to be written in the annual confidential report (ACR) of an officer guilty of sleeping over encroachments. Such an officer was to be mandatorily evaluated in the light of this remark at the time of his/her next promotion.”
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/JDAs-cactus-park-built-in-nullahs-catchment-area/articleshow/20867625.cms