The Jammu Kashmir admin on Monday said it retrieved hundreds of Kanal of land across Jammu Kashmir and also bulldozed several structures allegedly built over state land.
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Amid heavy snowfall, the bulldozers were seen moving in several parts of the Kashmir valley with an “aim to retrieve” the state land, which will be used by the administration for “Public benefit.”
In Wakhura Ganderbal, several structures “built illegaly” by locals were demolished. Official sources told The Kashmiriyat that six shops were bulldozed in the Sangam area of Anantnag where four Kanal of state land were recovered.
Bulldozers reached the Wanpoh and Larm Ganjipora area of Anantnag where commercial structures were bulldozed.
The Bandipora admin has claimed that it has retrieved around 33000 Kanals of state land comprising. The drives have also evicted around 500 Kanals of high-value land from various “influential persons” in the district, especially in Tehsil Bandipora and Sumbal.
In Mattan block of Anantnag, 109 Kanal of state land were retrieved by the revenue officials while in Shopian the admin locked down several shops in the south Kashmir town.
“837 kanals State/Kahcharai land were retrieved at Pahnoo, Mengipora and Ramnagri villages this week besides demolishing shopping complex belonging to influential person & sealing of 40 shops built on State land in Main Town Shopian,” the Shopian district admin said in an official communique.
Early morning on Monday, bulldozer reached the Damhal Hanjpora and demolished the shop of one local resident, who wished to be not named. “There is social shame. People feel we have done something wrong. But What are the resources of the state for, if we (local residents) cannot use them. I had built a small shop that helped me earn my livelihood, and it is gone now,” he told The Kashmiriyat.
Most of the people The Kashmiriyat tried to speak to refused to speak on record over the impact the demolition/ eviction drives have had for many residents.
Meanwhile, in Budgam land allegedly encroached upon by a police officer in the Gogo area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district was retrieved by revenue officials
Sources told The Kashmiriyat that one Kanal of land encroached by a senior Police official and the brother of a senior bureaucrat in Jammu Kashmir admin was retrieved by revenue officials in the Gogo area of Budgam.
Pertinently, the LG Manoj Sinha led administration has ordered the Deputy Commissioner to remove the “encroachments” from the state land in Jammu Kashmir by January 31.
Earlier LG Manoj Sinha had said that common masses and poor people wouldn’t be touched during the ongoing drive launched by his administration to retrieve state land from encroachers.
“Common man and poor people wouldn’t be touched by the administration. The government is concerned to safeguard the interests of poor people,” he said.