SRINAGAR, Sep 02: On the directions of Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Syed Basharat Bukhari, the Evacuee Property Department has intensified the drive to retrieve evacuee properties from illegal occupants and has retrieved 43 kanals of land worth crores of rupees in Raipur Domana and Kot-Bhalwal areas of Jammu district.

The department has also initiated special drive on war-footing to retrieve 673 kanals of evacuee property in Barn Kot-Bhalwal from illegal occupants.

According to Custodian General, Evacuee property Mr. Javaid Ahmad, after receiving reports that evacuee land in Tehsil Arnia of Jammu district is under illegal occupation and some illegal constructions have also been raised over it, the Department swung into action and retrieved over 27 kanals of land belonging to EP department and took control of the property, besides registered the property into revenue records.

The Department, under the supervision of Deputy Custodian General, Mr. Aijaz Ahmad accompanied by police also retrieved 16 kanals of land under khasra No. 109 from illegal occupants in Raipur Domana in Jammu on which about 7 plinths and 2 houses were constructed. The department has fenced the property and taken the property under its control.

The Minister has also given instructions to the department for initiating the process for retrieval of 673 kanals of evacuee property from illegal occupation in Barn Kot-Bhalwal area of Jammu district. The department has already initiated the process and after completing demarcation of retrieved land and property necessary entries will be made in the revenue records.

It is pertinent to mention here that the land and assets left behind by the people who migrated from Jammu and Kashmir and settled in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the wake of subcontinent’s partition in 1947 is supervised by the Evacuee Property Department under J&K State Evacuees’ (Administration of Property) Act 2006.