Srinagar: Nearly 6,56,309 hectares of ‘state and kahcharai’ land were retrieved during the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
On January 9, the administration had asked the DCs to ensure that all encroachments on state land, including grazing land and that granted under the Roshni Act, are removed by January 31.
The major chunk of 2,75,867 hectares of land was retrieved in Rajouri, followed by 1,44,613 hectares in Reasi, 1,22,277 in Poonch, 47,552 hectares in Kishtwar, 33,000 Kanals in Bandipora, 15,000 in Kathua, 14,000 in Ganderbal and 4,000 in Kupwara districts so far.
On Monday, the Jammu administration retrieved over 23 kanals of land encroached allegedly by former Deputy CM and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta.
Quoting official sources, the newspaper The Tribune reported that the anti-encroachment drive to retrieve the remaining land would continue even as the deadline ended.
Meanwhile, 40 kanals of land were retrieved on Tuesday from a hotel in Srinagar that belongs to close relatives of former CM Farooq Abdullah. In Anantnag, the boundary wall of the residence of former minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayyed (Congress) at Dahmal Khoshipora was demolished.
