The Gujarat administration, along with the police, has launched an extensive anti-encroachment drive across Kutch district, reclaiming hundreds of acres of government land from illegal occupants. The operation has focused on sensitive areas along the India-Pakistan border, Kandla Port, reserved forest land and key urban centres.
Officials said the campaign is aimed at protecting government property, strengthening security in border regions and preventing illegal occupation of public land.
89 encroachments removed, including 27 religious sites
According to Kutch DIG Chirag Koradiya, authorities cleared illegal encroachments from 89 locations across the district. The action included:
- 27 encroachments on the name of religious structures
- 49 commercial encroachments
- 13 encroachments on government land
- An illegal encroachment on a sensitive island area
DIG Koradiya said the entire operation was carried out in a planned manner with adequate police deployment to ensure law and order.
"We completed the drive peacefully. Illegal occupation of government land will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and such action will continue in the future," he said. The administration also carried out demolition drives in sensitive villages along the India-Pakistan border in Rapar and Balasar, removing unauthorized structures to strengthen border security.
At Kandla Port, authorities cleared nearly 100 acres of encroached land, freeing government property estimated to be worth around Rs 250 crore. As part of the operation, an illegally constructed mosque outside the IFFCO complex gate was also demolished on June 28 after remaining protected for months amid legal proceedings.
The Forest Department simultaneously reclaimed over 400 hectares of reserved forest land in the Nakhatrana and Dayapar ranges by removing illegal cultivation and encroachments using heavy machinery.
In Gandhidham, civic authorities demolished more than 130 illegal structures to improve traffic movement and urban planning, while in Adesar, around 10,000 square metres of government land was freed from alleged land mafias. Officials said the reclaimed land has been proposed for the construction of a new police station.
Threat to Collector during demolition
Officials also revealed that during one of the demolition drives, a man allegedly issued a death threat to the Kutch Collector while protesting the action.
The incident is being investigated, even as the administration has reiterated that the anti-encroachment campaign will continue without interruption.
