| PDA, Revenue dept retrieve prized land at Aru Pahalgam | | | SAAHIL SUHAIL
Early Times Report
ANANTNAG, June 25: Intensifying its drive against land enrichment, Pahalgam Development Authority and Revenue Department today retrieved back over 40 kanals of prized land Aru Pahalgam. The team was assisted by Pahalgam Police.
The joint team of PDA, Revenue Department and Police was led by the officers and it carried out the drive to remove encroachments from state land at Aru Valley
“The joint team faced stiff resistance, however, it succeeded in retrieving 40 kanals of prized land from the possession of a dozen encroachers,” CEO Mushtaq Ahmad Simnani told Early Times
He said team with the help of men and machinery dismantled fencing and removed the brush wood fencing put up by the encroachers at at Aru Pahalgam.
“I have directed my Executive Engineer and team to stay vigilant and stall all encroachment attempts,” he added.
He said that department is taking all measures to prevent the encroachment on state land at every cost in Pahalgam and assured anti-encroachment drive will continue.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Pahalgam, Fahim Bahaqi also confirmed to have retrieved back the state land at Aru Pahalgam.
“Yes we have retrieved back the state land. It is around 40 Kanals and this drive will continue,” he said.
Important to mention here, Jammu and Kashmir Government has admitted last year that Pahalgam- picturesque hill station with dense forest cover-has seen maximum encroachment in Kashmir with 33.81 hectares of forest land grabbed by 145 encroachers.
Under the garb of decades old 60-C gazette, influential people mostly Srinagar based businessmen have encroached and grabbed forest land at Pahalgam.
However the department has failed to initiate action against these 145 influential encroachers who include politicians, government employees, hoteliers, businessmen and even retired forest department officials. Shockingly last week forest department issued provisional No Objection Certificate in favor of an influential businessman instead of retrieving the land. |
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