Forest land eviction drive in Ramban recovers 2,176 hectares in Jammu and Kashmir

Officials in Jammu and Kashmir say a special eviction drive in Ramban district has retrieved 2,176 hectares of forest land from encroachers. At a district-level committee meeting, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan reviewed procedures, progress, and strategy, urging coordination among revenue, forest, police, and wildlife departments and directing divisional forest officers to submit weekly schedules.

Officials said the administration in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district retrieved 2,176 hectares of forest land. The land was taken back from encroachers under a special eviction drive. The update came as authorities reviewed progress and planned next steps to speed up removals across the district.

The details were shared during a district-level committee meeting in Ramban. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan. Officials reviewed the extent of forest encroachments and the process for eviction. They also discussed how to run the drive in a coordinated and effective way.

Forest land encroachment eviction drive in Ramban district

While assessing steps taken to protect forest land, Khan asked departments to work closely. Khan said coordination was needed among revenue, forest, police and wildlife teams. Khan directed revenue and police officers to provide full support. Officials said this would help complete the exercise on time and avoid delays on the ground.

Officials again confirmed that 2,176 hectares have been retrieved so far in the district. The figure was placed before the committee as part of the progress review. The meeting also looked at field procedures for identifying and clearing encroachments. Officials said the plan focused on steady action and shared responsibility.

Forest land coordination with revenue, police and forest officers

Khan asked the divisional forest officers of Ramban and Batote to set weekly plans. Khan told the DFOs to fix clear targets for removing encroachments. Khan also asked that the schedule be shared with revenue and police officers. Officials said the move was meant to increase pace and coordination.

The committee also discussed forest clearances linked to development works. Officials said projects under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and the Public Works Department were reviewed. Khan asked officials to settle pending cases under rules and procedures. Khan also asked senior forest staff to identify sites for forest huts in Ramban and Batote.

Officials said the meeting ended with directions to keep the eviction drive organised and time bound. The administration planned closer coordination between key departments for field action. The committee also kept focus on clearances for road and works projects. Officials said planning for forest huts was taken up alongside the ongoing recovery of forest land.

With inputs from PTI