JAMMU, September 11, 2026 – The Jammu and Kashmir Government’s efforts to resolve the long-pending land encroachment issue at the Industrial Estate Balole in Bari Brahmana appear to have stalled, returning to a frustrating cycle of routine official correspondence. Despite the constitution of a special committee in April designed to ascertain the reasons for the prolonged delay in eviction and to fix administrative responsibility, no concrete action has materialized. After several months, the committee submitted its findings to the Industries and Commerce Department. However, instead of taking decisive operational measures based on the report, the department, operating through SIDCO, merely issued a fresh letter to the Samba district administration requesting prompt steps to remove the encroachers.
This latest move has triggered immense frustration among industrial stakeholders, primarily because SIDCO had already addressed multiple similar communications to the Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Samba seeking the eviction of these illegal occupants. During the Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session earlier this year, the department formally acknowledged these repeated past requests. Out of the 522 kanals of State land earmarked for development at Balole in 2016, only 236 kanals and 10 marlas were officially handed over to SIDCO for industrial unit allotment. Alarmingly, the corporation has only been able to take physical possession of a mere 86 kanals and 10 marlas, leaving an estimated 150 kanals firmly under the control of encroachers.
The continued presence of these illegal occupants has effectively paralyzed expansion plans in one of Jammu’s most vital industrial hubs. Entrepreneurs who invested capital in good faith are now facing mounting project costs, profound uncertainty, and severe operational delays. Sources indicated that the formation of the April committee had generated high expectations that the government would finally move past routine letter-writing and hold those responsible for the stagnation accountable. Instead, the dashed hopes of stakeholders have been met with administrative silence; repeated attempts by the media to contact officers of the Industries and Commerce Department for clarification on an actual eviction strategy have yielded no response.
Published by True Roots Media Network