India, Aug. 12 -- Over 84,005 hectares, approximately 2.08 lakh acres, of land across Uttar Pradesh have been freed from illegal encroachment over the past nine and a half years through strict action and various drives, the state revenue department said Wednesday.

The action is part of the Uttar Pradesh government's anti-land mafia campaign against illegal encroachment on public properties, according to the department.

Along with freeing land from illegal occupation, the campaign has been expanded through the disposal of complaints, effective legal proceedings and criminal action against identified land mafias, the department said.

Revenue department officials said a four-tier Anti-Land Mafia Task Force has been constituted at the stat...