Kashmir Impulse Desk

Jammu, April 2

More than 16,000 kanal of land administered by the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), a significant share of the agency’s holdings, is currently under illegal occupation, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told lawmakers on Thursday, underscoring the scale of encroachment on public land in the region.

Responding to a question in the Legislative Assembly, CM Omar said the authority oversees roughly 80,976 kanal and 10 marlas of land in and around Jammu, of which about 16,127 kanal and 10 marlas had been encroached upon.

He said that the encroachments had been identified through a combination of field inspections and land records maintained by the Revenue Department.

Authorities have begun a series of eviction drives, issuing notices under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act and carrying out demolitions in coordination with district officials and the Police. 

The CM said that the effort was being conducted in phases and within a defined timeline, in accordance with legal procedures.

He said that officials were also attempting to prevent new encroachments through regular monitoring though such efforts had long been challenged by the pace and persistence of unauthorized construction.

Lawmakers sought details on who occupies the land whether politicians, government officials, or private individuals but CM Omar said the development authority does not classify encroachers by category. 

He said that the records were maintained by location and parcel of land, based on information provided by the Revenue Department.

The CM said enforcement actions were being carried out strictly within the framework of the law, emphasizing transparency and accountability in the process, even as the figures presented highlighted the breadth of the problem.