Over 1.66 lakh kanals of Custodian land are under illegal occupation across Jammu and Kashmir, while the government has managed to retrieve only 4501 kanals in the last five years.
This was revealed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also the Minister Incharge Revenue, in a written reply to National Conference MLA Farooq Ahmad Shah’s question in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
“As per the report received from the office of the Custodian General J&K dated February 27, 2025, the total area of Custodian land in the Union Territory is 14,49,406 kanals—13,93,446 kanals in Jammu division and 55,960 kanals in Kashmir division,” the Chief Minister stated, according to news agency KINS.
In response to a query about the extent of illegal occupation, the Minister Incharge Revenue said that in Jammu division, 1,62,340 kanals of Custodian land are under encroachment, while in Kashmir division, 3983 kanals have been illegally occupied.
Regarding the measures taken to evict encroachers, the Minister said that land retrieval is a continuous process undertaken by the department. “In this process, a total of 4501 kanals of evacuee land has been retrieved in the last five years—2060 kanals in Jammu division and 2441 kanals in Kashmir division,” he added. (KINS)
