Commercial building seized in Anantnag as eviction drive continues in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir authorities on Thursday took possession of a commercial building, allegedly constructed by a BJP leader on state land, at Srigufwara in Anantnag district; the building was seized as a part of the eviction drive launched by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to retrieve state land from encroachers

Authorities on Thursday took possession of a commercial building, allegedly constructed by a BJP leader on state land, at Srigufwara in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Security personnel attempt to stop Aam Aadmi Party leaders and workers who were staging a protest against the anti-encroachment and eviction drive in Jammu and Kashmir, in Srinagar on Thursday. (PTI)

The building was seized as a part of the eviction drive launched by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to retrieve state land from encroachers, officials said.

The building, which has 20 shops, was first seized by the revenue department as it was found that it was constructed on state land, they said.

It was later handed over to the rural development department for public use, officials said.

Over 35,000 acres of state land retrieved in Rajouri

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district have retrieved over 35,000 acres of state land as a massive anti-encroachment drive is underway, officials said on Thursday.

Rajouri deputy commissioner Vikas Kundal said the drive will continue till the entire encroached land is retrieved.

“A massive anti-encroachment drive in all tehsils of the district is on and over 2,86,875 kanals and 14 marlas (35,859 acres) encroached state land has been retrieved so far,” he said.

The state land retrieved from the illegal occupants includes 7,671 kanals and five marlas of kacharai land and 2,79,204 kanals and nine marlas of state land, including the Roshni Land, Kundal said.

As per the eviction plan and on the directions of the deputy commissioner, a series of anti-encroachment drives have been conducted across the district in the past one month, the officials said.

Teams of police and revenue officials have conducted drives in Rajouri, Darhal, Thanamandi, Nowshera, Qila Darhal, Sunderbani, Siot, Kalakote, Terayth, Beripatan, Manjakote, Moughla and Khawas, they said.

The J&K government has launched a major eviction drive, clearing state land from the encroachments.

The drive has caused major resentment among the common people and politicians who say that the exercise is also affecting the poor possessing small landholdings for living or survival for decades.

J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha had assured that no poor people will be targeted but only those “influential people who used their approach to encroach state land”.