Joint Commission to Demarcate Khasra No. 474 Amidst Allegations of Widespread Encroachment; Move Follows MLA Yudhvir Sethi’s Outcry in Assembly Over 4000-Kanal Land Grab
Responding to red flags raised by the Forest Department over attempts to secure NOCs for petrol pumps, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Sachin Kumar Vaishya, IAS, has constituted a high-level Joint Commission (Order No. DCJ/SQ/Demar/2025-26/1034-46) to demarcate forest land under Khasra No. 474 in Bain Bajalta, an area allegedly encroached upon by a powerful nexus linked to an Ex-MLC.
This decisive action follows an explosive statement by MLA Jammu East Yudhvir Sethi in the JKUT Assembly, where he accused an Ex-MLC in Bajalta of illegally occupying a staggering 4,000 Kanals of forest land, encompassing entire hills, and demanded its immediate retrieval.
mohit mehra
Jammu, June 18, 2025: The dragnet against the powerful land mafia allegedly operating with impunity in the Bain Bajalta area of Jammu has tightened significantly, as Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Sachin Kumar Vaishya, IAS, today ordered the constitution of a high-level Joint Commission to investigate and demarcate vast tracts of forest land allegedly under the illegal occupation of a nexus linked to an Ex-MLC. This move, a direct response to alarm bells raised by the Forest Department and bolstered by damning public allegations from a sitting MLA, signals a determined push by the administration to reclaim thousands of Kanals of prime state and forest land and dismantle a long-standing ecosystem of alleged corruption.
The formal action was initiated through Order No: DCJ/SQ/Demar/2025-26/1034-46, dated June 18, 2025. The order was prompted by a letter from the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Jammu Forest Division (vide No. DFO-J/Dem./76-79 dated June 11, 2025), which highlighted those multiple issues, including attempts to secure No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for petrol pumps, had arisen concerning Khasra No. 474 in Village Bain Bajalta. Despite this land being classified as ‘Banjar Qadeem’ (uncultivable wasteland) in revenue records, its strategic location and attempts to commercialize it necessitated an immediate and thorough demarcation.
To this end, DC Vaishya has constituted a powerful commission headed by the Additional District Development Commissioner, Jammu. The commission comprises key officials from both the Revenue and Forest departments, including Ms. Anmol Rathore, AC (UT); Sh. Nayiem Iqbal, JKAS, Tehsildar Jammu West; Sh. Ashok Kumar, Naib Tehsildar; Rakh Bahu, Sh. Jagdish
Singh, Naib Tehsildar, Sidhra Bajalta; Sh. Satish Kumar, Naib Tehsildar, Demarcation, Division-I, Jammu; Sh. Varinder Sharma, Range Officer, Demarcation, Division-I, Jammu; Sh. Bhishamber Singh, Range Officer, Bahu, Forest Range; ensuring a comprehensive and technically sound investigation. The commission has been given a strict deadline of a fortnight to demarcate the land and furnish a detailed report.
This administrative action is not occurring in a vacuum. It directly follows and lends credence to the reportage of Jammu Jottings and explosive allegations made by MLA Jammu East, Yudhvir Sethi, on the floor of the JKUT Assembly. Sethi had pointedly accused an Ex-MLC residing in Bajalta of perpetrating a colossal land grab. “I saw that he has encroached upon over 4,000 kanals of forest land. Entire hills have been occupied by him,” Sethi had declared in the Assembly, questioning what the government would do to reclaim this vast territory. He had further suggested that the retrieved land could be a valuable asset for cultivating medicinal plants, a “treasure” for the mountainous region.
The timing and location of this probe are critically significant, as it squarely places the activities of Ex-MLC and his alleged associates under the administrative scanner. The current probe into Khasra No. 474 suggests a pattern of alleged encroachment and a concerted effort by the administration to now unravel it, piece by piece.
The constitution of this Joint Commission is therefore seen as more than just a demarcation exercise; it is the first official step towards quantifying the massive scale of the alleged land grab highlighted by media and MLA Sethi and reclaiming public assets. It represents a direct challenge to the powerful forces that have, for years, allegedly manipulated records and misused their influence to occupy vast swathes of government land. With DC Sachin Kumar Vaishya’s reputation for taking a tough, uncompromising stance against corruption, the public is watching closely to see if this probe will finally lead to the dismantling of the Bajalta land mafia and hold all involved, including any political patrons and colluding officials, accountable.
