Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 24: The Jammu and Kashmir government at present is making all efforts to retrieve the land from the encroachments in the erstwhile state; the question is whether the dispensation will break the record of the past 50 years when mere 25 percent of the state land was freed by the authorities in the past.
The official documents reveal that in total, the forest land encroached in the state is 14345.008 Hectares out of which till date the area evicted by the government is 2839.54 Hectares of land which is mere 19 percent of the total forest area which is under encroachment till date.
Documents reveal that total area of forest land evicted from the encroachment was 338.31 Hectares while as in the year 2015-16, the area freed by the government was 888.92 Hectares. During the financial year that is 2016-17, the government has evicted total 1612.31 Hectares of forest land in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
In Kathua including Samba district, the forest land under illegal occupation is 291.12 Hectares.
Out of it, 12.32 Hectares were freed in 2014-15, 29.95 Hectares were freed in 2015-16 and in the financial year, the area freed by the government was 5.15 Hectares of land.
In Jammu district the forest land under illegal occupation is 243 Hectares. Out of it, 56.50 Hectares were freed in 2014-15, 26.05 Hectares were freed in 2015-16 and in 2016-17, the government didn’t free any forest land from the encroachers.
In Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the forest land under illegal occupation is 781.78 Hectares. Out of it, 23.70 Hectares were freed in 2014-15, 40.58 Hectares were freed in 2015-16 and in the year 2017, the area freed by the government was 593.89 Hectares.
In Doda district, the forest land under illegal occupation is 837.78 Hectares.
Out of it, 32.15 Hectares were freed in 2014-15, 204.87 Hectares were freed in 2015-16 and in the year 2017, the area freed by the government was 312.85 Hectares.
In Ramban, the forest land under illegal occupation is 2174.63 Hectares. Out of it, government of Jammu and Kashmir freed 8.30 Hectares in 2014-15, 81.95 Hectares were freed in 2015-16 and in the year 2017, the area freed by the government was 164.25 Hectares.
In Poonch, the forest land under illegal occupation is 1814.50 Hectares.
Out of it,26.20 Hectares were freed in 2014-15, 2.55 Hectares were freed in 2015-16 and in the year 2017, the area freed by the government was 286.45Hectares.
In Udhampur district the forest land under illegal occupation is 2554 Hectares. Out of it, 31.50 Hectares were freed in 2014-15, 193.18 Hectares were freed in 2015-16 and in 2017, the area freed by the government was 168.88 Hectares.
Now, when the government is holding back to back meetings over evicting the state land, hopes are high that the past precedence will be abolished to the core and a system infested with more accountability will prevail. |
