Eviction of land

High Court of Jammu and Kashmir  has ordered that shamilat land meant for cattle grazing known as Kacharia and State land under illegal occupancy of people in one or the other form shall be retrieved.

This land is meant for common purposes and can be used for constructing schools and other government departments and play grounds etc.

At the time of settlement about one hundred years ago this land was recorded as Shri Sarkar Dulatmandar meaning our government is wealthy and rich as it has enough land and can utilize it for common purposes of its citizens.

It was, and is the responsibility of the government  to look  after  its properly, and if at any time finds that this treasure is illegally occupied by anyone may and can take action against that. Few decades ago people  were  having  a kind  of fear that  if  this kind of land is occupied, sarkar  will take action.

But from last  three  decades people  first only encroached  these patches  either  by fencing or planting fruit bearing trees, and from few years later started constructing  residential  houses; and later on commercial  constructions  on such patches.

Revenue department is the care taker of these  lands. Many poor people have also constructed residential houses on these patches and rich people have also  illegally  occupied  these patches for one or another purpose.

It should be mentioned here that there is a provision that if any body has requirement of this kind of land it can be interchanged with the propriety  land by a mutation after  completion  of formalities. ∫ut it is for selective  cases and this time it can be utilised for the benefit  of those  people who may have constructed  residential houses on these  patches.

Revenue  department  is on its toes as the deadline  is approaching nearer. Each day statements are issued that such lands were  retrieved  today and the remaining  will be retrieved  on war footing  basis  and  the graph  will  reach zero before the deadline  and some revenue  officers  have started issuing  notices to the encroachers.

Really a good step as such lands are used for different  public purposes. This author sees that  tehsil authorities  are issuing  statements  daily  in this regard and when one examines  these statements, and if they are based on facts, then  it looks the goal is near.

But if the statements are like the preparation of Goshwara Jiniswar then the situation will be unchanged even after the dead  line.

This author appreciates revenue authorities for this hardworking, but statements  should be based on facts, and the authorities should think about residential houses constructed on these lands by the poor people as it is a matter of concern; and only serving  a notice to these downtrodden  people is not a proper way. Think before you Act.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.

The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.