- SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has halted the anti-encroachment drive that snowballed into a major controversy. The drive has already evicted thousands of people who had been cultivating and residing on government land.
- Bulldozers were used to remove encroachments of 20 Lakh kanals (2.5 lakh acres) of land across 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Besides retrieving land, many structures have been demolished.
- Quoting sources reported that the government is coming up with a policy to protect small landholders and till that time officials have been asked to stop the anti-encroachment drive.
- “Yes, the anti-encroachment drive has been put on hold. This has been done to factor in and consolidate what has been achieved so far in the drive,” quoted a senior Revenue official as having said.
- Officials say large tracks of state land that was occupied by people for decades have already been retrieved. Now the Revenue officials have been directed to furnish the status report of the land retrieved so far.
