Jammu, May 13 -- More than 17 lakh kanals of state land have been encroached by the land mafia across Jammu and Kashmir, with Jammu division accounting for over 14 lakh kanals, more than three times the figure recorded in Kashmir division, while Rajouri district topped the list among all 20 districts, official data said.

According to the official figures, a total of around 17,27,247 kanals of encroached state land entries were expunged from revenue records across Jammu and Kashmir.

Of the total, Jammu division accounted for 14,00,051 kanals and five marlas of encroached state land, whose entries were expunged from revenue records, while Kashmir division recorded 3,27,199 kanals, it said.

The data revealed stark regional differences, wi...