Amid growing protests, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said only influential and powerful people who misused their position to encroach upon the State land would be evicted in the Union Territory (UT).
“The High Court has passed directions repeatedly to evict illegal encroachers from State land. Let me clarify that influential people who have misused their position, violated rules and grabbed land will be evicted. The common man and poor man will not be touched. We will ensure their rights are secured,” L-G Sinha said in Srinagar.
“The drive will continue and no one will be spared and all the illegal encroachments on the State as well as ‘kahcharai land’ will be removed”ShyambirDeputy Commissioner
The L-G administration passed directions to all deputy commissioners to evict illegal occupiers from the State land in J&K by January 31 this year.
According to official figures released on Thursday, around 1,600 kanals (200 acres) of government land was recovered in a single day during anti-encroachment drives in Bandipora.
With these 1,571 kanals, the total retrieved land has increased to around 28,000 Kanals (3,499 acres), which have been retrieved from the land grabbers.
“Anti-encroachment drives are underway across the district and the public should cooperate,” Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora, Dr. Owais Ahmad said.
In central Kashmir’s Ganderbal, Deputy Commissioner Shyambir informed that 11,600 (1,449 acres) kanals of State and ‘kahcharai’ land had been retrieved. “The drive will continue and no one will be spared and all the illegal encroachments on the State as well as ‘kahcharai land’ will be removed,” he said.
“Repeal black laws”
Meanwhile, scores of villagers from south Kashmir’s Anantnag district held a demonstration against the move.
“The black laws introduced are snatching land from the poor. We appeal to the government to repeal these black laws and protect the rights of the poor population,” Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Larnoo-Kokernag, Anantnag, said.
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