Armed forces to improve defence land management

Pune, May 8 (IANS) After the controversy over the construction of a post-retirement home for President Pratibha Patil on defence land, an officer said Tuesday said effective steps would be taken to improve the management of defence land.

'Southern Command has taken effective steps to improve management of its defence land, optimise the administration of its cantonments and identify and set right all the errors, mistakes and deviations that have occurred in the past,' Maj. Gen. S.K. Yadav told reporters here.

Stating that the Southern Command was spread over 19 cantonments and 31 military stations, Yadav said it had a landholding of over 7.5 lakh acres.

'Precise land records are a prerequisite for safe custody and optimal utilisation of this precious resource. Southern Command undertook a major initiative involving the local military authority and defence estates officers to jointly update and compile defence land records,' he said.

Yadav said the land management would include compilation, digitisation and mutation of defence land records.

'A broad framework for transforming the cantonments and military stations into 'Model Towns' has been promulgated and budgets for the current year have been formulated with the enunciated vision,' he said.

All cantonments had also been directed to institute several measures like undertaking at least one beautification and utility project each year, improve hygiene and sanitation by ensuring cleanliness of the area and effective sewage and drainage system, amongst other measures, he said.

Yadav said efforts would be made to retrieve defence land illegally claimed by altering revenue records.

A controversy broke last month when Suresh Patil, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Pune-based 'Justice for Jawan', part of the NGO 'Green Thumb', released details on the government's plan to give the president a house over a large extent of 2.6 lakh sq feet land, alleging it belonged to war widows. Subsequently, the president's office said she would forgo the post-retirement accommodation.