Srinagar, May 19: Police and the forest department on Tuesday carried out an anti-encroachment drive in the outskirts of Jammu city and demolished around 20-30 structures to retrieve nearly 60 kanals of prime forest land.
Officials of the forest department, Forest Protection Force, revenue department and the police launched the operation to evict alleged encroachers from the forest area.
Despite resistance from the alleged encroachers, the drive continued for nearly three to four hours, during which around 20-30 structures, mostly kaccha constructions, were demolished in the Mahamaya forest belt, they said.
Officials said nearly 60 kanals of land, worth crores of rupees in the Raika Bandi forest belt of the lower Shivalik range, were reclaimed during the operation.
The affected families staged protests against the action and termed the demolition drive “unjustified”. They alleged that the drive was carried out without any prior notice.
Officials said that the forest department will undertake mapping of tribal settlements and other habitations in forest areas across Jammu to check further encroachments.
“All such areas will be photographed and videographed and the records will be uploaded on official websites after verification of documents,” an official said. “We will not allow any forest land to be encroached upon and all illegal occupations will be removed”.
Meanwhile, minister for Forests Javed Ahmed Rana reached out to people affected by an anti-encroachment drive in a forest area on the outskirts of Jammu city.
He ordered a probe into the Forest Department’s action, urging Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to act against the police and file an FIR against them for alleged excesses during the operation.
“I will request the LG to order the filing of an FIR against police officers for excesses committed against people. Law and order is under his jurisdiction. The police used force and did not allow people to offer prayers,” he alleged.
The team demolished over 30 structures and retrieved nearly 60 kanals of prime forest land valued at several crores, officials said.
“I have just returned from Pir Panjal and ordered a probe into the role of the Forest Department,” Rana told reporters.
“They are members of our society, and I have said earlier that because of their contributions and sacrifices, Jammu and Kashmir stands with India today. You are challenging this and playing with their emotions,” he said.
Appealing for calm, the minister assured that no injustice would occur and rehabilitation measures would be undertaken.
“I would like to instruct people to remain calm and maintain restraint. Your losses will be compensated. Those responsible for causing damage will be brought to justice through due legal process,” he said.
Rana said the Tribal Affairs Department would take steps to rehabilitate the affected families.
Terming the incident unfortunate, he said such actions had no place in civil society.
“The point I am making is that what has happened is inhuman, and such things have no place in civil society or in any religious or social setup. These people have been living here for the past fifty years, and as per revenue records available to me, the land belongs to them,” he said.
He also claimed that the land is under revenue records and is not under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department.