RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, May 9: For a change, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has got support from an unexpected quarters in Jharkhand.
Working president of the Jharkhand Congress and a fire brand tribal leader Bandhu Tirkey has hailed the ED’s action in land scam in the State.
Issuing a press statement today he not only welcomed the probe but made an appeal to all the political parties to extend wholehearted support to the action.
“The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating several land scams and suspicious land deals in Jharkhand are a welcome step and every political leader and all the people should wholeheartedly support it,” Tirkey said.
He, who is a former minister and member of co-ordination committee of Jharkhand government, said all the land scams and tampering of documents should be thoroughly investigated without political discrimination, any prejudice and without any undue benefit to anyone.
He said that irrespective of the government, it is clear from the kind of evidence that has come out in the investigation of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that many officials holding high positions have criminally tampered with land documents and carried out land scams.
The Congress leader said that due to this, the tribal and native residents of Jharkhand, especially in Ranchi, have suffered the most.
Tirkey wants the ED to probe the old cases also.
“The roots of land scams in Jharkhand date back to many years ago, but in the investigation so far, efforts are being made to catch only the cases of the last two-three years and this is not fair with a serious criminal case like land. Overall, the ED investigation is a welcome step, but from the direction of the investigation so far, it seems that due to such an investigation, those people who have been working for years, especially in Jharkhand, can get away with it. After formation, many such exploits were done, due to which tribal and native residents have to bear the brunt till date. The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act) has been widely violated in the last several years and the ED should investigate it deeply,” he said.
The senior Congress leader said that land scams have not only directly affected the general social life of Jharkhand, but Jharkhand’s environment, weather, business and industrial environment and social peace have also been affected and crime incidents have increased in the entire society.
According to Tirkey, unwanted dealings of land and such transactions have had the most fatal effect on the society of Jharkhand and the life of the common people here because now it has become the easiest means of earning money for the common people and little.
“Due to greed, many people of Jharkhand have forgotten their hard work, intelligence and even the normal behavior of Jharkhandi people in the process of earning quick money by forming a criminal group in true sense,” he said.
Tirkey has also demanded a high-level commission from Chief Minister Hemant Soren for an in-depth investigation of all the land matters of Jharkhand, especially all the deals done in the last 20 years.
“The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act) has been violated on a large scale and only the tribals have to bear the brunt of this, due to which their economic-social condition is becoming extremely dangerous and worrying,” he said.
