Meer Irfan
The local residents agitated against officials of the Rural Development Department in Pulwama’s Payar area during an eviction drive in the south Kashmir area.
A local speaking to The Kashmiriyat said on Monday the employees of the Rural Development Department reached the Payar area to free a state land in the area and started cutting trees in a patch of land in the south Kashmir area.
Watch Video
“The grassland has always been used by people. We do not understand why have we suddenly become illegal occupants. The land was used by locals to graze animals. Many people have their almond trees planted in this patch of land, which is their only source of income, it seems that the admin wants to snatch our livelihood” a local resident said, adding that the trees planted here are at least five to six decades old.
Almond farming is already suffering huge losses in Kashmir and amid this cutting down the trees is really devastating for dozens of families, the locals claimed.
They said that the admin informed them that the patch of land has to be used for a sports stadium. “There are two patches of land lying at a distance of not more than half a kilometer, unfortunately, the admin needs only this patch of land for the stadium. Snatching this patch of land will result in worklessness for more than fourty families,” he said.
They claimed that eight Kanal of land free in the area which can be used as a stadium. “We fail to understand why is this land particularly needed for the stadium?” the locals asked.
Last year, LG Manoj Sinha said this year 221 playfields will be constructed in all 20 districts while construction/upgradation of 157 sports courts will also be completed.
Officials speaking The Kashmiriyat said that the locals of Payar have been asked to evacuate the land several times, however, the locals have not cooperated with us so far. “We have tried to evict the state land several times but they (locals) did not pay any attention to our letters communicated officially,” Gulzar Bin Rehman, the Block Development Officer said.
BDO said that the eviction drive has nothing to do with the recent order of the Jammu Kashmir admin which called for the eviction of state land from “illegal” occupants in Jammu Kashmir by January 31.
“The playfield has been sanctioned for Payar, Nowhad Malpora areas for the welfare of the youth of the area. We do not understand why locals should resist such moves,” he said, appealing the locals to cooperate with the officials.