Jammu, May 13: A protest broke out in Jammu on Wednesday against alleged large-scale encroachments on forest and state lands in the Shivalik range surrounding the winter capital.
Led by BJP MLA from Bahu constituency, Vikram Randhawa, hundreds of protesters carrying placards that read “Save Jammu forest” and “Stop grabbing Jammu lands” took out a rally on Sidhra road and later held a dharna.
The demonstrators burnt tyres and demanded the immediate removal of illegal occupants.
They also demanded that the lieutenant governor launch an “Encroachment-free Jammu” campaign on the lines of Nasha Mukht Abhiyaan.
The protesters raised slogans against alleged “outsider land-grabbers” and warned of a major agitation if immediate action was not taken to stop encroachment of government lands.
As a result, the Sidhra bypass remained blocked for over two hours.
Speaking to reporters, Randhawa said, “Today, we held a symbolic protest to sensitise the government about the ongoing encroachments by non-Dogras under a plan to alter the region’s demography, while authorities are allegedly providing water, electricity, roads and drainage facilities in these forest areas,” Randhawa told reporters.
He alleged that forest land, state land and properties belonging to the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) in areas such as Bathindi, Sunjwan, Bajalta, Sidhra, Raika, Narwal and Bahu were being encroached upon.
“Government and forest lands running into thousands of kanals have been occupied by settlers from outside Jammu. They are being provided all facilities, resulting in silent encroachment in other areas as well,” he alleged.
Randhawa claimed that people from Kashmir have settled on encroached land in Jammu, while “no Dogra from Jammu has encroached on lands in Kashmir and settled there.”
“I want to tell Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to examine the lists of encroachers and see who they are. We will not allow Dogra culture, identity, heritage and Jammu forests to be destroyed,” he said.
The BJP legislator accused the government of ignoring repeated warnings regarding the alleged illegal occupation of JDA and other state lands.
“We don’t oppose anyone legally purchasing land and settling in Jammu. But illegal occupation of land will not be tolerated. We want district administration, forest authorities and JDA to act against the land mafia,” he said.
Randhawa also accused the chief minister and the ruling dispensation of “weakening the Dogra identity of Jammu”.
According to official data, Jammu district accounted for 1,45,487 kanals and six marlas of encroached land, while Srinagar recorded 13,862.95 kanals, indicating that Jammu district alone had over 10 times more encroached state land than Srinagar.
In April, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah informed the Assembly that over 16,000 kanals of JDA land were encroached upon and said eviction drives were being conducted in a phased manner.
Replying to a question by BJP MLA Narinder Singh Raina, the chief minister had stated that the JDA manages 80,976 kanals and 10 marlas of land, of which 16,127 kanals and 10 marlas were under illegal occupation.
In Jammu and Kashmir, one kanal is equal to 20 marlas and measures around 5,445 square feet, while one marla is approximately 272 square feet.
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