184.12 acre of state land retrieved in Ramban

Jammu, Feb 14 (PTI) More than 184.12 acres of state land was retrieved during an anti-encroachment drive in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, an official spokesman said.

Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mussarat Islam and other senior officers personally monitored the drive, which was jointly carried out by revenue and police teams, in various tehsils of the district, the spokesman said.

He said state land measuring 524 kanal was reclaimed in Banihal where several illegally raised structures were also demolished.

Similarly, the enforcement teams retrieved 394 kanal state land in Gool tehsil, 245 kanal in Ramban, 160 kanal in Khari, 93 kanal in Ramsu, 28 kanal in Batote and 27 in Pogal-Paristan (Ukhral), the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress on Tuesday staged a protest rally against the drive in Sunderbani area of Rajouri district.

Led by former legislator and chief spokesperson of the Pradesh Congress Committee Ravinder Sharma, the protesters raised slogans against the BJP and J&K administration before dispersing peacefully.

Opposing the eviction of small farmers and poor people who are cultivating the land for decades, Sharma said lack of elected government has brought large-scale miseries to common people.

“A fair, just and rational policy should be framed to regularise the land of poor and common people,” he said favouring evictions of land grabbers who have illegally usurped large chunks of surplus lands allegedly in connivance with corrupt revenue officials.

The Congress leader threatened mass agitation if “coercive action” is initiated against the poor and farmers.

“All previous governments framed rules and laws to settle the poor, landless and farmers, especially tillers, but this government directly under the BJP-led Centre is uprooting them,” he said.