B’pora Admin Issues Eviction Notices to 53 Households Encroaching Aragam–Chapran PMGSY Road

Suhail Rather

Bandipora, September 08: Bandipora administration has issued notices to as many as 53 residents of Chapran village in Bandipora who have allegedly occupied a PMGSY road.

        Weeks after Kashmir Convener highlighted choking of the Aragam Chapran road, Executive Magistrate Chittibandi Bandipora has identified the 53 encroachers and issued notices to them.

        The Executive Magistrate of Chittibandi, Bandipora, has identified the encroachers and warned them to remove the obstructions themselves. The notices state that if the encroachments are not cleared voluntarily, the administration will remove them and recover the costs from the residents.

The magistrate has warned the residents to remove the encroachments and obstructions on roads themselves. The notices state that if the encroachments are not cleared voluntarily , the administration will remove them and recover the costs from the residents, reads the notices, a copy of which is available with Kashmir Convener.

        An official of the revenue department said the 33-feet-wide road, for which land was acquired over a decade ago by the government has been encroached upon by the very individuals who had earlier sold their land for the project.  “The same residents have received the compensation for the land they gave away for the road and later encroached it again after receiving the compensation,” officials informed.

Officials said at several locations, houses have been built on the acquired land, while in other stretches it has been merged into private lawns and orchards.

Residents expressed frustration, saying that the road has narrowed to as little as 8 feet at certain points, hampering smooth traffic and posing safety risks.

“The government must clearly demarcate the road land and retrieve it at the earliest. If not addressed now, this could become a major bottleneck in the future,” a local resident said.

Executive Engineer PMGSY Bandipora, Tariq Ahmad, had acknowledged and assured to take action against the encroachments to restore the road.

The road serves as a crucial lifeline for the tribal population of Chapran, and residents hope swift intervention will preserve its intended utility.