2,176 hectares of forest land retrieved from encroachers in J-K's Ramban

The administration has retrieved 2,176 hectares of forest land from encroachers in Jammu and Kashmirs Ramban district as part of a special eviction drive, officials said. The meeting discussed issues related to forest land, the extent of encroachments, procedures for eviction and the overall strategy for carrying out the drive in an effective and coordinated manner, they said.

The administration has retrieved 2,176 hectares of forest land from encroachers in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district as part of a special eviction drive, officials said. The information was shared during a meeting of the district-level committee chaired by Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan to review and expedite the removal of encroachments from forest land in the district. The meeting discussed issues related to forest land, the extent of encroachments, procedures for eviction and the overall strategy for carrying out the drive in an effective and coordinated manner, they said. Reviewing the ongoing efforts to safeguard forest land, the deputy commissioner stressed the need for close coordination among the revenue, forest, police and wildlife departments to ensure smooth implementation of the eviction process on the ground. He directed officers of the revenue and police departments to extend full cooperation for the timely completion of the exercise. ''It was informed that a total of 2,176 hectares of forest land has so far been retrieved from encroachment in the district,'' officials said. Khan further directed the divisional forest officers (DFOs) of Ramban and Batote to prepare a weekly schedule with clear targets for the removal of encroachments and circulate it among the concerned revenue and police officers to accelerate the drive. The meeting also discussed issues related to forest clearances for developmental works being executed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and by the Public Works Department. The deputy commissioner directed officials to resolve pending matters in accordance with rules and procedures and asked the senior forest official of Ramban and Batote to identify locations for the construction of forest huts in their respective jurisdictions, officials said.