Now Srinagar MC, irrigation dept tighten noose around encroachers

DEPARTMENT HAS ASKED THE ENCROACHERS TO CLEAR THE DEPARTMENT’S LAND WITHIN SEVEN DAYS OR BE READY TO FACE ACTION

SRINAGAR: Amid panic over the land eviction drives launched by the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir, the Srinagar municipal corporation (MC) and irrigation and flood control department has also started issuing notices to people, asking them to remove encroachments from streams, river banks, and the land belonging to the civic body which they claim is under illegal possession.

As per the initial assessment, hundreds of kanals belonging to the irrigation and flood control department has been encroached upon across J&K.

The department has now asked the encroachers to clear the its land within seven days or be ready to face action. It has time after time retrieved its land from encroachers.

Recently, a list of alleged encroachers of the irrigation and flood control department’s land in Baramulla was under circulation on social media platforms.

“We have to remove these encroachments as the government has given its nod for this exercise,” said a senior officer from the department.

Srinagar MC has also issued a notice for restoration of Doodhganga nullah under the smart city project from Aalochi Bagh to Chattabal.

The document signed by MC commissioner Athar Amir

Khan has asked the encroachers to remove encroachments within seven days.

“Rejuvenation and restoration of Doodhganga nullah from Aalochi Bagh to Chattabal has been taken under smart city mission with MC’S drainage circle being the executing agency. It has been found that a number of encroachments and illegal structures have come up on the site of nulllah,” reads the notice.

Even J&K’S custodian department that looks after the evacuated properties in the UT has started issuing notices to people to get their land registered.

“It’s surprising that every department of the government is now active and trying to retrieve its land. It seems government is serious about this issue. But at the same, this has created panic among locals who feel this is being deliberately done to harass them,” said Farooq Ahmad, a retired government officer, who is now a social worker.

Almost all political parties are up in arms against the government for trying to retrieve the land from encroachers.

The mainstream political leaders have asked the UT administration to create a proper mechanism to get its land freed from encroachers.

Over the past three weeks, hundreds of kanals of government land have been retrieved and buildings bulldozed under the drive.

Court documents show a total of 20,46,436 kanals of state land was under illegal occupation.

J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha has assured the common man that he “won’t be touched”.

“Only the state land under powerful and influential people, who have grabbed government property due to their influence, will be retrieved,” he has said.