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J&K people being harassed in name of land retrieval drive: Altaf Bukhari
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said an impression is being created that J&K residents will be driven out and outsiders will be brought in
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Monday alleged harassment of common people by the bureaucracy of Jammu and Kashmir in the name of clearing state and grazing land from encroachments.
Bukhari said an impression is being created that J&K residents will be driven out and outsiders will be brought in. “But rest assured, not an inch of land will be given to outsiders (for residential purposes),” he said while addressing a press conference in Srinagar.
“The government has issued orders (to evict) people in possession of state land illegally or even the land on lease which has expired. These days, more attempts are being made to harass people by issuing such orders,” he added.
“An impression is being created that somehow, the situation could get worsened here. Not all, but some officers are harassing people. I request those officers to mend their ways. These are common people and you have no right to harass them,” Bukhari said.
J&K government has launched a major eviction drive to clear state land from the encroachments. The drive has caused major resentment among common people and politicians, who say that the exercise will affect the poor possessing small landholdings for living or survival for decades.
J&K LG Manoj Sinha had assured that no poor person will be targeted, but only the “influential people who used their approach to encroach the state land”.
He said that he has talked to LG Sinha and Union home minister Amit Shah over the issue.
“We are not saying to spare land grabbers, but there should not be injustice as well,” he added.
