Anantnag: A protest was held on Thursday in the Larnoo-Kokernag area in Anantnag district against the Jammu and Kashmir administration as it issued a circular asking people to vacate the ‘state land’.
It was the first major protest against the JK governor administration’s order issued on January 4 asking people to vacate ‘state land’ within seven days or face action.
The protestors assembled at Biddar in Larnoo and raised slogans against the administration for issuing eviction notices to them. Reports said the protestors submitted a memorandum to local authorities, demanding the Lt Governor administration revoke the order.
Notably, the administration has ordered people to evict from the alleged state land by January 31 this month. The order has created widespread protests while politicians have expressed resentment, asking the authorities to reconsider the decision.
The protest that was led by tribal leaders urged the LG administration to roll back the order saying that it will render thousands of people homeless in this chilly season. Meanwhile, the drive to evict people is underway in every district of the Valley.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration issued separate notices across the Union Territory, asking the people to vacate the ‘state land’ on their own, failing which strict action will be initiated.
The Executive Magistrates 1st Class across JK have issued notices for the general public with regard to the encroachment of the ‘state land’. The notices warned the people to remove ‘encroachments’ on their own within two days.
“If any person fails to remove the encroachment, the department would swing into action and people have to pay the charges of the same,” the notices issued by Executive Magistrate 1st Class in north Kashmir’s Baramulla and Boniyar areas, reads.
Similar notices have been issued in other areas across Jammu and Kashmir, reports said.
However, the move has been opposed by the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, who want the administration to reconsider its decision for the sake of the poor people.
National Conference (NC) Vice President, Omar Abdullah said that retrieving the land from people, which has been provided to them under the Roshni scheme, amounts to betrayal.
The order issued by the administration has also sparked protests in different parts of the UT, especially in Jammu where people have also been served notices by revenue authorities, asking them to vacate the state land or face demolition.
Pertinently, Bidhuri has instructed all Deputy Commissioners to ensure that all ‘encroachments’ on state land, including Roshni and Kahcharai land, are removed to the extent of 100 percent by January 31, 2023.
The Commissioner Secretary of Revenue has also instructed the Deputy Commissioners to develop a daily anti-encroachment drive strategy and designate Additional Deputy Commissioners as District Nodal Officers for coordination and efficient drive implementation.
On Thursday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that common masses and poor people wouldn’t be touched during the ongoing drive launched by his administration to retrieve state land from encroachers.
Talking to reporters, as per Kashmir News Observer, Sinha said common masses and poor people wouldn’t be touched during the eviction drive in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Common man and poor people wouldn’t be touched by the administration. The administration is concerned to safeguard the interests of poor people,” he said.
He said that the influential people ‘misused’ their positions and ‘encroached on state land in violation of the laws’. Sinha said there were directions from the High Court to retrieve state land.
