‘Operation near Tawi Eco Park follows HC order; majority encroachers non-local’
RK News Service
Jammu, May 19: A joint anti-encroachment eviction exercise carried out in the Raika Bandi area on Tuesday led to the demolition of approximately 32 illegally constructed concrete and kutcha structures, with around 3 hectares of encroached forest land reclaimed, officials said.
The operation was jointly carried out by the Administration, Forest Department, Forest Protection Force, police personnel, and belt force officers in the presence of First-Class Magistrates.
It targeted encroachments on forest land adjoining the fence line of the old Tawi Herbal Eco Park and near the Chak line boundary of Bandi Chak, with the majority of encroachers being non-local families.
The exercise follows directions from the High Court in its order dated September 3, 2020, in PIL No. 25/2017 titled SAVE vs State of J&K & Ors, which categorically directed the Forest Department to remove encroachments from forest lands in a time-bound manner and ordered the constitution of high-level committees to achieve the desired objectives.
Officials stated that the eviction exercise was not a sudden outburst but followed months of hectic efforts by forest field staff to check the spread of encroachers. On March 28, 2026, during a routine inspection, encroachers attacked forest field staff and raised baseless allegations to falsely trap government employees in false and frivolous cases.
Sensing the urgency, higher authorities were apprised, and a procedure for issuing Show Cause Notices was initiated. However, the notices found no takers as encroachers vehemently denied accepting them and misbehaved with staff on duty, leading to the issuance of eviction orders.
Officials clarified that a notion had been set in the public’s mind that these encroachers had been residing in the area for the last many decades. However, Google Earth timeline imagery clearly shows that only 2 to 3 kutcha sheds existed up to the year 2009. Of the structures dismantled, the majority belonged to non-local families, with only 3 to 4 families being of local Gujjar lineage.
The operation marks a significant step in the government’s ongoing efforts to reclaim encroached forest land in compliance with judicial directives and protect the region’s ecological integrity.
