SRINAGAR: The Jammu Kashmir government has said that nearly 19,501 hectares of forest land are under illegal occupation across the Union Territory as of September 30, 2025, and that a series of measures are underway to retrieve and restore the encroached areas.
According to the figures presented by the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment in the Assembly, the highest encroachments have been reported from the Kashmir region, with divisions such as Anantnag, Lidder, Shopian, Kulgam, Awantipora, Kamraj, and Langate accounting for thousands of hectares of encroached forest land. In total, the South Forest Circle recorded 3,268 hectares under encroachment, while the North Circle reported around 1,493 hectares. The Srinagar Circle reported over 1,170 hectares of encroached forest land.
The government said that during the current financial year up to September 2025, eviction drives across various forest divisions had cleared around 45 hectares of encroached land, which has since been fenced, planted with indigenous species, and restored to its natural forest status to prevent re-encroachment.
Listing the steps taken to address the issue, the department said detailed surveys and demarcation of forest boundaries are being carried out to identify illegal occupation. Notices under Section 79(A) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, are issued to encroachers directing them to vacate the land. The department, in collaboration with territorial staff and the Forest Protection Force, is conducting eviction operations to reclaim forest areas.
The government said vigilance has been increased in vulnerable areas to prevent further encroachments and that technology such as drones, GPS mapping, and remote sensing is being deployed for better monitoring and detection of illegal occupation.
The department maintained that retrieval of encroached land remains a top priority and that efforts are ongoing to reclaim all illegally occupied forest land across the Union Territory.
