Srinagar, Feb 19: The anti-encroachment drive to retrieve state and kehcharai land in Jammu and Kashmir has been put on hold, official sources said here.
They told Kashmir News Service (KNS) the higher ups have directed the concerned officials to put the eviction drive on hold for now as the authorities have been insisting that poor and landless won’t be touched.
They said government is framing a policy to protect small land encroachers, poor and the landless people and till that time concern officials have been asked to stop the eviction process.
Notably, the eviction drive to retrieve state and kahcharai land that has been grabbed by land mafias and influential people has been going on in J&K for over a month.
As per officials a major chunk of land has been retrieved from the illegal encroachers, however, during the drive some small land grabbers and poor have also been affected.
“To protect the small land grabbers the government is coming up a policy, which will be soon made public to provide relief to small land grabbers and poor people,” they said.
Notably, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has himself made it clear during his speeches on various occasions and even directions have also been passed to officials that poor won’t be touched during the eviction drive.
He had said the drive is aimed to retrieve land from land mafia, influential people and officials who have misused their position to major chunk of grab state land. (KNS)