Srinagar, Dec 1, KNT: An official record of the Jammu Forest Division has revealed massive and systematic encroachment on protected forest land, with more than 12,510 kanals and 3 marlas shown as illegally occupied across several forest ranges, blocks and beats of the region.
The 48-page departmental register indicates that encroachment is not limited to isolated cases but spans multiple zones, including Bahu, Kalidhar, Chowadhi, Paloura and Sidhra forest ranges. Violations have been officially logged across several blocks including Chowadhi, Bajalta, Palpad, Dungian, Raika, Pargwal, Sunjwan and Sidhra, exposing the breadth of the problem.
The document details land grabbing in legally notified forest compartments like 1/B (Old), 4/Ch (New), 6/B, 8/Ch, 22/M, 24/K, 28/K, 63/B, 64/Bahu, 66/Raika, 1470, 371, 788 and others.
The range of violations recorded is extensive. The register notes illegal revenue entries, construction of permanent and temporary houses, fencing, land levelling, commercial structures, cultivation, colonies, boundary walls, tin sheds, livestock shelters and even industrial and institutional structures inside forest boundaries.
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Sources within the Forest Department said the pattern points to planned and prolonged occupation rather than incidental intrusion, with certain compartments showing repeated entries indicating long-term settlement activity inside forest land.
The report further states that the figures represent only verified cases so far and may rise after joint demarcation with the Revenue Department, raising concerns that the actual scale of forest loss may be significantly larger. [KNT]
