Abdullahs' name figures among state land encroachers in J&K

Former chief ministers, including Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar, ex-ministers, politicians, bureaucrats and big business houses have encroached on the State land in Jammu and Kashmir and the government has asked them to vacate it by January 31.

The encroachments made by these influential people have been verified on ground by the field staff of the Revenue department and notices have been served to them, officials said.

Even the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led by former CM Mehbooba Mufti has encroached on three kanals of land in the Sunjwan area on Jammu's outskirts and a party office has been constructed over it.

Former minister Mustafa Kamal, who is senior Abdullah’s younger brother, is also on the list of State land encroachers. Former Congress leader who last year joined Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Democratic Azad Party (DAP), Taj-Mohiudin has encroached upon at least six acres of State land in Jammu, the official records reveal.

The owners of Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa in the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir have reportedly agreed to voluntarily remove encroachments as soon as the weather improves as there is still a lot of snow in the area.

“The field staff of Revenue and Forest departments have already removed the fencing around the encroached area and land could not be removed due to inclement weather,” reports said.

On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to stay a circular issued by the Jammu and Kashmir administration for the removal of encroachments on State land, including that given under the Roshni Act, by the end of this month even as it said houses should not be demolished.

“If stay is granted, then it will benefit land grabbers,” the Court observed.

The J&K government on January 9 had directed all deputy commissioners to remove encroachment on encroached land by January 31, 2023.

In 2001, the J&K government enacted a law – J&K State Land (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001 (popularly known as the Roshni Act) for granting ownership of state land to unauthorised occupants in order to raise funds for power projects in the erstwhile state.

In October 2020, a Division Bench of J&K High Court declared the act unconstitutional. All acts done under it or amendments thereunder were also declared unconstitutional and void ab initio.

The court had also ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Roshni land scam case, stated to be the biggest ever in the history of J&K.