Day after stone-pelting, admn assures poor won’t be affected

Our Correspondent

Jammu, February 5

A day after residents pelted administration and police officials with stones during a demolition drive in Bathindi area of Jammu, the administration on Sunday assured that the poor people won’t be affected. The officials were getting demolished a car showroom near Malik Market area when local residents attacked them, leaving a cop with minor injuries on Saturday. SSP Chandan Kohli had to intervene and was able to convince residents after which the tension was defused.

The J&K administration had ordered removal of encroachments from state land across the UT in an order issued on January 9. The deputy commissioners of all the districts are struggling to clear the encroachments in some parts due to resistance by locals.

Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, in an official statement, mentioned, “During the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, no landless person, family and small commercial units shall be targeted. But big encroachers will not be spared. People are requested to cooperate.” The administration has a long list of encroachments, especially in Bathindi area where some influential people have encroached upon forest land.

Deputy Commissioner Avny Lavasa had on Saturday said the showroom owner was served a notice before action. “The owner did not give legal or rational justification due to which the action was taken. I want to clarify that the government has no intention to disturb the houses and small commercial properties of poor people on which their livelihood is dependent,” she said.

A senior police official said it had come to light that some political persons in Bathindi were instigating people against the administration and spreading misinformation about the anti-encroachment drive. “Action can be taken against such people,” said the official.

Meanwhile, Democratic Azad Party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad tweeted that his party would suspend the agitation as Home Minister Amit Shah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had assured that the poor would be spared from eviction drive.

Attempt to change demography: PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party says the anti-encroachment drive in J&K is another attempt to seize locals’ land and cause massive changes to demography. Issues like unemployment and safety of Kashmiri Pandits are not being addressed, it stated. pti

AAP leaders detained during stir in Jammu

AAP leader Harsh Dev Singh, along with two others, was detained on Sunday during a protest outside Raj Bhawan against the eviction drive. Officials are dispossessing the poor while leaving the powerful untouched, the ex-minister alleged. pti

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