Over 3 Lakh Kanal State Land Under Encroachment in Jammu Kashmir: Poonch Tops, Forest Land Violations at 5,857 Hectares | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: More than three lakh kanals of state land are under encroachment across Jammu and Kashmir, with Poonch district recording the highest extent of illegal occupation, even as forest land encroachments have been pegged at 5,857.41 hectares, according to official data tabled in the Assembly.

Revenue Department figures show that Poonch accounts for the largest chunk of encroached state land at over 1.11 lakh kanals, followed by Rajouri with more than 2.73 lakh kanals and Jammu district with over 45,000 kanals. Kathua, Udhampur, Samba and Doda also report substantial encroachments, indicating the widespread nature of the issue across both divisions.

Officials said that while entries of unauthorized occupation have been expunged from revenue records, the physical possession of land in many cases remains with encroachers, necessitating continued eviction drives.

Parallel data from the Forest Department indicates that 5,857.41 hectares of forest land are under encroachment, with the highest concentration reported in Anantnag forest division at 1,523.11 hectares. Shopian follows with over 1,011 hectares, while Budgam’s Pir Panjal division accounts for more than 620 hectares. Significant encroachments have also been reported in Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora and Ganderbal divisions.

The government said eviction proceedings are being carried out under the provisions of the Land Revenue Act, with notices issued and periodic drives conducted to reclaim encroached land. Joint operations involving the Forest Department, Forest Protection Force and police are also underway to clear forest land.

Authorities said the use of DGPS-based resurveying is being scaled up to accurately demarcate encroached areas, while field staff have been directed to maintain constant vigil to prevent fresh encroachments. Awareness campaigns are also being conducted in vulnerable areas, particularly in forest fringe villages.

Data on retrieval since October 2024 indicates that land has been reclaimed across districts, though officials emphasised that the process remains continuous and contingent on legal procedures and ground-level constraints.

The issue is also under judicial oversight, with progress on eviction drives being periodically submitted before the High Court. The government maintained that a combination of legal action, technological intervention and coordinated enforcement is being pursued to address the scale of encroachment and restore public land across the Union Territory.