Srinagar, Oct 27: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Monday revealed that over 19,501 hectares of forest land are under illegal occupation across the Union Territory as of September 30, 2025.
The Minister in charge of the Forest, Ecology, and Environment Department, Javed Rana, informed that a total of 27,712 cases of encroachment have been identified in the Kashmir region alone, covering 5,891.49 hectares of forest land.
The data shared by the government in response to MLA Dr Narinder Singh Raina’s query, shows that the highest number of encroachments were reported from the South Circle, including divisions such as Anantnag, Lidder, Shopian, Kulgam, and Awantipora, with 14,902 cases involving 3,268.05 hectares.
Among these divisions, Anantnag tops the list with 7,060 cases covering 1,535.035 hectares, followed by Shopian with 3,872 cases over 1,011.29 hectares, Lidder with 2,336 cases over 314.13 hectares, Kulgam with 1,096 cases across 279.19 hectares, and Awantipora with 560 cases involving 132.10 hectares.
The North Circle reported 6,492 cases covering 1,452.530 hectares. Specifically, Kehmil recorded 1,785 cases over 445.00 hectares, Kamraj 1,268 cases over 261.42 hectares, Langate 2,042 cases over 434.70 hectares, and JV Division 1,397 cases covering 311.41 hectares.
In the Srinagar Circle, 6,318 encroachment cases were reported on 1,170.9134 hectares. Pir Panjal recorded 2,959 cases over 623.0939 hectares, Sindh 2,065 cases covering 377.8145 hectares, Bandipora 943 cases over 135.2125 hectares, and Tangmarg 351 cases over 34.7925 hectares. The Urban Division reported no encroachments.
Eviction drives conducted so far have reclaimed about 44.82 hectares of land from 230 cases across several divisions.
The government said that multiple measures have been initiated to recover the encroached land, including detailed boundary surveys, issuance of eviction notices under Section 79(A) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and regular eviction operations. Once recovered, the land is fenced, restored with indigenous species, and returned to its forest status to prevent re-encroachment.
The department has also intensified vigilance through joint operations by the Forest Protection Force and local territorial staff, the minister said.
He added that modern technologies such as GPS and drone-based monitoring are being employed for better protection and mapping of forest land. (KNO)
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