Over 2.6 lakh kanal forest land occupied by Bureaucrats and Politicians

A report of the forest department has noted that over 2.6 lakh kanals of forest land, including that at the tourist resorts of Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam, have been encroached upon by politicians and bureaucrats for construction of hotels and palatial houses.

The report has further noted that owing to their influence, officials and politicians have got the revenue records tampered to “carry out mutation of the land illegally in their favour”.

“There is a nexus between the politicians and the bureaucrats and the land mafia and the previous government has patronized them and helped in the encroachment of forest land,” a top government official said.

He said the government has recently issued notice to former health minister, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, for allegedly encroaching on the forest land in Shopian and will carry out demarcation of land.

“A list of officials and bureaucrats has been prepared who have encroached the forest land and eviction notices will be shortly issued to them,’’ added the official.

Officials said since the PDP-BJP coalition government took over in the state it has retrieved at least 3,500 kanals of forest land in different districts of the state.

“The concerned Divisional Forest Officers and the Range Officers (RO) have been asked to take the help of the police as well to remove the encroachments from the forest land,” said a senior government official.

He added that government has written to the Deputy Commissioners of different districts to demarcate the forest land to remove the encroachments at the earliest.

Admitting that a large swathes of forest land have been encroached in the state, Forest Minister, Bali Bhagat, said: “We are preparing list of officials and politicians who have encroached on the state land.”

“We recently issued notice to the former Minister, Taj Mohi-ud-Din and everyone will be dealt sternly under law. We want to break the nexus between some politicians and the bureaucrats and the land mafia which has helped in the encroachments.”  He added that the government has started an anti-encroachment drive which will continue.

“Some influential people have been shielded by previous governments but we will take stern action against them.”