Srinagar, Apr 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Government is mulling to announce the anti-encroachment policy in the Union Territory, for which high-level discussions and meetings are being held in both Srinagar and Jammu cities.
A top official in the Revenue Department told Rising Kashmir that the Anti-Encroachment Policy is under their consideration and has not been yet finalised by the authorities.
“On Tuesday, we had a meeting with the Chief Secretary and other officials. Many things related to the policy were discussed and the final decision will be taken by the Central government in consultation with the LG administration,” he said.
The official said they have finalised the report and are waiting for final approval from the higher-ups. If the policy is approved, then most of the poor and landless families will be granted patches of land for the construction of houses, he said.
“After getting approval here, the file will be sent to the Home Ministry where the final decision will be taken regarding it. We have some vital meetings in the coming days and hopefully, it will get approved soon,” he added.
As per government figures, out of a total 22.40 lakh kanals of government land that is under encroachment, the J&K administration has retrieved 15.83 lakh kanals of state land during the first three months of this year.
“The land regained is 71 percent of the total encroached land in the UT,” the government said, adding most of the encroached land was retrieved from influential persons.
On March 20, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said the drive to evict illegal occupants from the government land in Jammu and Kashmir will resume and the retrieved land would be used to fuel the industrial revolution in the union territory.
The UT administration launched the eviction drive in January this year but had to stop it following protests.
“The big tracts of land will be given for setting up industry. The smaller plots will be used to create facilities like playfields. The small patches of land will be used as the burial grounds for poor people who don’t even get land for last rites,” the LG said.
On February 15, the government halted an anti-encroachment drive and the revenue department was directed to furnish status reports of retrieved land.
