Massive anti-encroachment drive on cards in Srinagar

A massive anti-encroachment drive is on the cards in Srinagar as over 200 identified encroachments have been finalised for land retrieval proceedings, officials said on Sunday.

The district's Revenue Department has also identified more than 1,000 hectares of encroached land and is initiating relevant action as part of the first-phase of the drive, they said.

According to the officials, the Srinagar administration has issued instructions to the concerned departments to take "serious and definite" action involving initiation of criminal proceedings and eviction of encroachments and illegal constructions on government land and in water bodies in the district.

Over 200 encroachments in the forms of landholdings and constructions have been finalised for initiation of action in the first phase of the drive aimed at retrieving all state land and water bodies in the district, they said.

 

This comes in the wake of a detailed report on encroachments identified in Gilsar and Khushalsar lakes by the Revenue Department. The report was compiled on the instructions of the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and submitted to his office, they added.

Besides locational maps of the encroachments, the report indicates names of the encroachers and those involved in land grabbing and illegal constructions.

Choudhary has issued directions for cancellation of illegal entries in revenue records and also sought explanation from the concerned agencies for providing civic amenities such as power, water supply, drainage and roads to colonies and structures raised on state land and in water bodies, the officials said.

Last month, more than 20 encroachments were removed and a dozen FIRs lodged against land grabbers in Srinagar, they said.

According to the officials, the Srinagar administration has also taken note of inputs about illegal constructions being done at night time in the Anchar lake area on the outskirts of the city.

"The concerned officers have been instructed to keep a vigil in the area and initiate strict action with assistance from the local law enforcement officials," they said.

They added that the administration has also issued directions for strict adherence to the in-operation magisterial order banning movement of tipper trucks with construction material without permission.