Dozen illegally built houses demolished in anti-encroachment drive in Jammu

Jammu: A dozen illegally built houses and four plinths were demolished in a major encroachment drive here on Saturday, leading to retrieval of 10 kanals of the land belonging to the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), a senior government official said.

The successful drive was conducted by the JDA in close coordination with the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), Jammu district administration and police at Sidhra, Majeen and Rangoora areas, the official said.

He said the areas with large-scale recent encroachments, including Dingyali, Gulshan Nagar, and Asrarabad in revenue villages Majeen and Ragoora, Sidhra, were identified for the drive. Despite issuing notices or warning in such areas, the land mafia along with a team of contractors with labourers continued their activities.

During the drive, 12 illegal houses and four plinths were demolished, retrieving 10 kanals of the JDA land on the spot, the official said, adding besides giving a strong message to all encroachers and other builders in the area that no one will get away with impunity.

The drive was a success, not only in removing illegal encroachments but also in raising awareness among residents about the importance of knowing the procedure for carrying out construction on the land with clear title under ownership as the government or the JDA land shall be retrieved, he said.

Vice Chairman, JDA, Pankaj Sharma said his department is committed to ensuring that public land is safeguarded against unauthorised encroachments and will continue such efforts in the future.

“The drive is a clear message to the public that they should ensure construction of housing after verifying the title of land and following the due procedure for construction of buildings,” he said, advising public not to construct buildings on the acquired JDA land in Ragoora, Majeen, and Sidhra areas for larger public interest as the JDA has earmarked the land for development of township in the area.