Bandipora admin seals 20 shops over ‘encroachment’

Bandipora, Nov 18: The Bandipora district administration on Tuesday sealed 20 commercial establishments at Gulshan Chowk – 13 standalone shops and a shopping complex housing seven additional outlets - after officials said the structures had been raised on state land.

A revenue official involved in the action confirmed the figures to Greater Kashmir, saying the sealing followed information obtained through an RTI application alleging large-scale encroachment.

Based on those inputs, notices were reportedly issued, leading to Tuesday’s operation. The sealed units include major establishments such as SBI, HDFC Bank, Novo Labs (a multi-speciality nursing home), the Jamkash two-wheeler showroom, restaurants, jewellery stores, general provision outlets and other businesses.

The move triggered sharp political criticism from Bandipora Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat, who termed the operation “abrupt, unlawful and devoid of basic procedure”.

Bhat, who visited the site, said the administration had acted without proper notice or consultation with stakeholders. “This is a brute act. No due process was followed,” Bhat told Greater Kashmir. “If the administration believed any legal action was required, it should have issued notices, sought explanations, and taken people into confidence. None of that happened.”

He said the sealing had put hundreds of livelihoods at risk, arguing that “ordinary businessmen, not criminals,” had been rendered jobless overnight.

“Properties worth crores have been sealed without warning. This is a market directly linked to people’s survival.” Questioning the legality of the operation, Bhat said an Executive Magistrate could not carry out such a large-scale sealing drive without following proper procedure.

“There was no engagement with local representatives, market bodies or the public. As a lawyer, I can say this raises serious legal concerns,” he said.

The MLA asserted that most of the shops had existed for decades, many constructed after a government-backed town planning exercise undertaken when the old Bandipora market was razed in a devastating blaze. “These buildings have stood for as long as I can remember. They were built under the government’s own plan. How are they illegal today?” he asked.

Meanwhile, affected shopkeepers said they had purchased the land and units decades ago through proper documentation, including revenue papers and court orders.

Traders also accused the administration of acting without prior notice and demanded clarity on the grounds for the sealing.

Bhat urged the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora to immediately review and reconsider the sealing order, saying the livelihood of an entire market should not be jeopardised “without following legally mandated procedures.”