Meerut, July 20 -- Sambhal district administration removed an illegal mazar and imambara built on government barren land in Mukarrabpur village of Sambhal district and allotted the reclaimed land to eight landless families, officials said on Sunday. The move comes as part of the state government's ongoing drive to free public land from encroachment and distribute it to eligible beneficiaries. The reclaimed land, located in Mukarrabpur village under the Hazrat Nagar Garhi police station area, measures approximately five bighas (2,950 square metres) and is valued at around Rs.1.25 crore. According to the district administration, the land had been under illegal occupation, with a mazar and an imambara constructed on a portion of it. Following the removal of the encroachment, ownership pattas were issued to eight landless families. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, during his visit to Sambhal on Saturday, personally handed over pattas to three beneficiaries-Rani, Nanhe Prajapati and Brajesh. Among those allotted land are Rani, Brajesh, Rajkumar, and Dharampal, each of whom received 120 square metres. The remaining beneficiaries-Sarjeet, Surendra, Vinay Raj, and Nanhe Prajapati were allotted 104 square metres each. District magistrate Ankit Khandelwal said the administration is reclaiming government land from illegal encroachments in accordance with the state government's policy. Officials said the reclaimed plot is recorded as Gata No. 765, covering 0.295 hectares. Of this, around 312 square metres had been illegally occupied by the Dargah Shah Miyan Neem Mazar and an adjoining imambara....