JAMMU, FEBRUARY 13, 2026 – The Jammu and Kashmir government has successfully reclaimed over 140 kanals of prime land from illegal encroachers across the Bahu and Jammu South Tehsils over the past year. In a detailed briefing to the House on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Minister for Education Sakeena Itoo revealed that a total of 140 kanals and 11 marlas were recovered through 34 coordinated anti-encroachment operations launched since January 2025. Addressing a query raised by Legislator Vikram Randhawa, the Minister emphasized that the administration is not merely focused on recovery but also on long-term preservation, implementing immediate fencing and the installation of official signboards to deter future land grabbing. To maintain a constant vigil, dedicated monitoring teams—including Junior Engineers, Patwaris, and In-Charge KWI officers—have been mandated to conduct regular jurisdictional inspections and report any fresh attempts at unauthorized occupation of Jammu Development Authority (JDA) land.
The scale of the challenge remains significant, as the Minister disclosed that 688 kanals and 17 marlas in Tehsil Bahu and 579 kanals in Tehsil Jammu South are currently classified under illegal encroachment. These occupations are primarily historical in nature and are being systematically dismantled under the stringent provisions of the J&K Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1988. Minister Itoo assured the House that the JDA possesses the necessary manpower and receives full operational support from the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), the Revenue Department, and the local police for these high-stakes eviction drives. Beyond physical reclamation, the government is enforcing strict internal accountability; delinquent JDA officials found complicit in these encroachments are facing severe disciplinary measures, ranging from official warnings and the initiation of Regular Departmental Actions (RDAs) to the suspension of services and the revoking of salary increments.
