Over 2,900 hectare of forest land retrieved in Jammu: Forest dept

Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department has retrieved 2903.65 hectares of encroached land across Jammu region and 205 hectares in Jammu city and its outskirts in the last two years, an official said today.
Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment Choudhary Lal Singh today said the government would not compromise on encroachments, asserting that the violators would be dealt strictly under law.
"The Forest Department has retrieved 2903.65 hectares unrecorded and freshly encroached land across Jammu region and 205 hectares in Jammu city and its outskirts in the last two years", Singh said.
The minister said this while interacting with the officers of forests and its allied wings after reviewing the progress of plantation on national highway, removal of encroachments from forest land, development of nurseries of SFRI and utilisation of funds.

He said the government is working on comprehensive policies for protection and preservation of the forests and wildlife across the state.He said demarcation of the forest and wildlife land has been started across the state.
Singh assured people that strict action would be taken against the encroachers and poachers. He called for a greater participation of the civil society to act as motivator against poaching, encroachment of the forests.