Kathua authorities tighten noose around encroachers

Our Correspondent

Kathua, August 31

In a major drive against land encroachers, the Kathua district administration has directed the revenue department to remove all entries of illegal occupants encroaching upon state land, ‘kacharai’, water bodies and common land from the revenue records.

It has also ordered updating the copy of ‘khasra girdwari’. The orders have been issued by Rohit Khajuria, District Magistrate, Kathua.

An anti-encroachment campaign is being carried out throughout the district for a month.

“The decades-old problem being faced by people of Kathua town will be solved soon. The main market, where even pedestrians faced problems earlier, now presents a different look after action against the encroachers. All roadside vendors have been shifted to other places,” said Karan Singh, a social worker.

He said the best result of the anti-encroachment drive could be seen on the busy Court road, which had been reduced to half due to the establishment of illegal kiosks in the last three decades. It has regained its area after the removal of illegal structures. The move has also led to smooth traffic.

“The district administration has not spared even influential people who had encroached upon the state land. An illegal structure raised by the district president of the PDP has also been razed,” a revenue official said.

Now, the district administration has ordered all 11 tehsildars of Kathua district to cancel the entries of illegal occupants from the revenue records and also update the khasra girdwari document. The report has to be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner office in a week.