Around 5000 kanals of custodian land retrieved in two years across Kashmir: J-K Govt

SRINAGAR — The government on Thursday said that around 5000 kanlas of custodian land have been retrieved across Kashmir in the last two years and that the people whose property is being illegally occupied by the land grabbers should approach the department to take a due course in this regard.

Custodian Evacuee Property Department, Kashmir, Tariq Hussain Naik, while talking to the news agency KNO exclusively, said the department has been putting every effort to identify the custodian land that has been notified years ago.

“We have been working from the last two years to ascertain how much land is notified and how much land is in the records in the Revenue department. Almost 80 per cent of our reconciliation has been completed with the Revenue Department so far,” he said. He also added that so far, the department has been able to retrieve around 5000 kanals of custodian land in different districts across Kashmir.

He added that there is a misconception and to end it, the people should know that the custodian land is only a private property. “We are retrieving the land and the process under Evacuee Act is being followed. If a property is notified once, it will remain so until and unless somebody will not claim the land through proper procedure,” he said.

Stating that the retrieval of custodian land at present is not new, but it is a continuous process; however, he said that nobody will be displaced or disturbed anywhere.

“As per the procedure, if a structure is being raised anywhere illegally on the custodian land, we demolish it, but if a structure is already raised years ago, then we have a provision for that and we will have to notify it following which the rent is being fixed,” he said.

He also said that if the land of any person has been grabbed illegally by anyone, he or she should approach the department and a due course will be taken as per the provision of the Act to restore the property under section 14 of the Evacuee Property Act.