Over 1200 Kanals of JDA Land Under Encroachment in Bahu, Jammu Tehsil | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Official records tabled in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly show land measuring 688 kanals 17 marlas in Tehsil Bahu and a further 579 kanals in Tehsil Jammu South remain under illegal encroachment, while authorities have reclaimed 140 kanals and 11 marlas since January 2025, the House was told on Friday.

The reply said the Jammu Development Authority and the Jammu Municipal Corporation are applying the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1988, to remove longstanding encroachments. Officials reported that 34 anti-encroachment drives have been carried out in the two tehsils so far this year.

To deter reoccupation, authorities said they have fenced retrieved plots and installed signboards. Local teams — including junior engineers, patwaris and the officer in charge of Khasra/land records — are said to conduct regular patrols and report any fresh attempts to occupy JDA land.

The government told the Assembly it has not relied on a permanently constituted special task force; rather, the Jammu Development Authority has adequate internal manpower and calls on the Jammu Municipal Corporation, the Revenue department and local police for support during eviction drives as required.

The departmental response also set out disciplinary steps taken against officials found wanting. Red entries have been recorded in the service books of two named officers, Pankaj Sambyal and Romesh Kumar, for their alleged involvement in encroachments in Tehsil Jammu South. The statement said warnings, recovery of dues, suspension and withholding of increments have been used where justified, and that responsibility is fixed following due verification and prescribed procedures.

The question that prompted the reply noted repeated public representations about large-scale encroachments in the Bahu constituency. The government described the encroachments as “old” and said removal is proceeding under existing law; it did not present a timeline for full clearance of the remaining encroached area.