Jammu: The Jammu Development Authority (JDA) has officially admitted that over 16000 Kanals of its land is under illegal occupation by private parties and land mafias.
“This accounts for more than 20% of JDA’s total land holdings,” this was revealed in a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Jammu-based RTI activist Raman Sharma.
In response to online RTI query, Vishavjeet Singh, the Secretary and Public Information Officer (PIO) of the JDA, vide his Office Letter No. JDA/RTI/PIO/2025/79/17 dated 04/March/2025, disclosed these alarming figures.
The PIO’s reply informs that out of 80,976 Kanals and 10 Marlas of total land holdings of JDA, 16,467 Kanals and 10 Marlas is under illegal occupation of encroachers and as on date only 65,508 Kanals remain in JDA’s actual possession which means 20.34 percent land belonging to JDA is under illegal possession.
The PIO’s Letter also reveals that in Jammu district, JDA owns 68,992 Kanals and 11 Marlas of land, while in Samba district, it owns 11,983 Kanals and 19 Marlas.
Contrary to the tall claims made by the J&K government and senior JDA functionaries, the RTI reply refused to provide information regarding the total area of land vacated and retrieved by JDA from the year 2015 to 2025 and the JDA’s response simply stated: “Record Not Available.”
Responding to the query related to the total number of legal cases pending against JDA in different courts, the reply served by JDA reveals that as of now, a total of 635 court cases are pending against it, including 212 in subordinate courts, 422 in the J&K High Court, and one case pending in the Supreme Court of India.
Expressing his concern over exposure in the RTI reply regarding such a huge portion of JDAs land under illegal occupation of Mafias, information seeker Raman Sharma urged the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take note of it and retrieve the encroached land worth billions of Rupees.
