Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 21 : District Administration Jammu carried out an anti-encroachment and demolition drive and retrieved land worth crores of rupees at village Sikanderpur, Tehsil Bishnah, an official press note from Jammu and Kashmir police said.
The drive was carried out on the directions of District Magistrate Jammu, Rakesh Minhas, in coordination with SSP Jammu Sh Joginder Singh.
Land measuring about 130 kanals, falling under Khasra Numbers 308, 389, 2206, had been under illegal occupation, with construction of illegal structures raised by land encroachers and offenders booked under the NDPS Act.
The district administration has cautioned against such illegal occupation of state land and warned land encroachers that strict action shall be taken against violators. The land retrieved in yesterday's operation will be handed over to the concerned department, and some portion will also be proposed to be utilised for Niabat, Patwar Halqa and Police Chowki.
The anti-encroachment drive was conducted under the overall supervision of SDM Jammu South, Manu Hansa and Superintendent of Police HQ Jammu, Irshad Rather, in the presence of Tehsildar Bishnah, Ankush Tripathi, SDPO R.S Pura, Gurmeet Singh, Rakesh Jamwal, SHO Bishnah and other officials from the Revenue and Police departments.
Meanwhile, a team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police's State Investigation Agency (SIA) conducted a raid on the Kashmir Times office in Jammu on Thursday. Further details of the raid are awaited.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary asked the investigative agencies not to "pick-and-choose" media organisations for raids, saying there should not be any pressure on the press.
"The agencies are doing their work. If a raid has to be conducted, it should not be done on a pick-and-choose basis. If they have done anything wrong, action should be taken, but not just to create pressure. The Press is the fourth estate, and it should get space to practice journalism," Surinder Choudhary told reporters.
Youth Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (JKPDP) chief Aditya Gupta criticised the raid, calling the Kashmir Times the "boldest voice" of the Union Territory.