The disclosure that over 1.66 lakh kanals of Custodian land remain under illegal occupation across Jammu and Kashmir is not just alarming but indicative of a larger governance failure. What is even more concerning is that, despite having full knowledge of the encroachment, the administration has managed to retrieve only 4501 kanals over the past five years. This sluggish pace of land reclamation raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the Government machinery and the will to address what appears to be a deeply entrenched problem. Custodian land, primarily meant for the settlement and welfare of displaced persons, has instead become a lucrative target for encroachers, including land mafia and politically connected individuals. The figures provided by the Government paint a grim picture-162,340 kanals under illegal occupation in the Jammu division alone and 3,983 kanals in the Kashmir division. If the current retrieval rate is anything to go by, it will take the administration decades to reclaim all the illegally occupied land.
The figures disclosed by the Government underscore a bureaucratic inertia that has allowed illegal occupation to flourish. In five years, the Custodian Department has retrieved just 4501 kanals, with the Jammu division witnessing an even slower pace of retrieval than the Kashmir division. This raises many questions-half-hearted efforts or missing intent? Reports suggest that a significant portion of the encroached land is embroiled in litigation. While legal proceedings can be time-consuming, it is also a well-known tactic used by encroachers to delay and complicate matters. The Government claims that both Custodians are ‘vigorously contesting’ these cases, but the dismal rate of land retrieval tells another story.
One of the most disturbing aspects of this issue is the active role played by revenue and other department officials in facilitating illegal land grabs. As per reports, hundreds of kanals of Custodian land have been fraudulently acquired by land grabbers through connivance with officials who tampered with records and enabled the illegal sale of Government land. The ACB has registered numerous FIRs, particularly in Jammu district, uncovering a disturbing trend-land grabbers manipulated records, obtained fraudulent power of attorneys from PoJK refugees, and inserted fabricated entries into official records. This systematic abuse of official positions has not only deprived the Government of valuable land but has also caused massive financial losses to the exchequer.
Given the scale of encroachment and the depth of corruption involved, piecemeal efforts will not suffice. The Government must adopt a multi-pronged approach to tackle this issue effectively. The establishment of fast-track courts specifically for Custodian land disputes to ensure swift disposal of cases can be quite useful. Simultaneously, the ACB must intensify its investigations, and exemplary punishment should be meted out to those found guilty. Digitalisation of land records and satellite monitoring can help prevent further encroachment. The Government must ensure that all Custodian land records are available online, making them accessible and tamper-proof. Additionally, once illegal encroachments are identified, immediate action must be taken to demolish unauthorised structures.
The retrieved land should be used for infrastructure projects, public utilities, or resettlement schemes for marginalised communities. This will ensure that reclaimed land serves a constructive purpose rather than lying unused and vulnerable to re-encroachment. The Custodian Department has a responsibility to safeguard public assets, but its current performance has been lacklustre. The figures presented in the Legislative Assembly reflect a system that is either unwilling or unable to act decisively, making it evident that unless stringent measures are taken, the retrieval of encroached land will remain a distant dream.
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