By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 31 Oct: In one of the biggest anti-encroachment operations in recent years, the Forest Department and district administration today carried out a large-scale demolition drive in the Puchhri area of Ramnagar and reclaimed forest land from illegal occupation. The action was taken in an allegedly illegal settlement along the Kosi river which officials said had come up on government forest land over the years. The operation, conducted under the second phase of the encroachment removal campaign in the Terai West Forest Division, saw bulldozers and heavy machinery pressed into service amid unprecedented security arrangements.
According to the officials, valuable forest land in the Puchhri area had been illegally occupied and developed into a residential settlement. Sources in the Forest Department alleged that land mafia, Tahir Mulla, had facilitated the sale of forest land to people, including purchasers from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, leading to the establishment and expansion of the colony. The illegal colony settled by Mulla housed mostly Muslim families settled from other states. Officials said cases have already been registered against Tahir Mulla by both the Forest Department and the police. Senior police officers confirmed that efforts are underway to trace him.
The demolition drive began at around 6.30 am in the presence of a heavy police contingent and senior administrative officers. Anticipating the action, several residents had started dismantling their own houses and removing doors, windows, bricks and other belongings late on Friday night. Despite this, the administration proceeded with the planned operation and demolished 81 illegal structures identified for action.
The drive formed part of Phase-II of the encroachment removal exercise. Earlier, during Phase-I, around 51 families were removed from encroached forest land in the same area. More than 90 families had initially been identified for action in the second phase, but around nine to ten cases were kept out of the operation as they are currently under consideration before the High Court. Following verification of records and legal scrutiny, the administration finalised 81 structures for demolition.
DFO Punit Tomar said that the operation was conducted in the Masjid Mohalla and Mulla Patti areas of Puchhri after completing all the legal formalities prescribed under the Indian Forest Act. He said an initial list of 83 structures had been prepared, but repeated verification by the district administration and Forest Department resulted in a final list of 81 structures eligible for action. Cases under judicial consideration, those covered by stay orders and matters falling under the process of the Forest Rights Act were excluded from the demolition exercise.
Tomar said all the affected parties had been served notices, orders had been passed after following due process and appeals had been heard before the operation was undertaken. He added that the Forest Department’s priority is to reclaim encroached forest land and restore it to departmental control. Responding to questions regarding the alleged sale of forest land on stamp papers, he said action in that matter is progressing separately at the district level and that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had already been constituted.
District Magistrate, Lalit Mohan Rayal, said elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure the operation was completed peacefully. The affected area was divided into multiple super zones, zones and sectors, with magistrates and police officers deployed at strategic locations. More than 1,000 police personnel and government employees were involved in the operation. Around 30 JCB machines, dumpers and other heavy equipment were deployed for demolition and debris removal.
According to the administration, approximately four to five hectares of forest land were reclaimed during Saturday’s operation. However, officials also referred to a larger encroachment spread over nearly 14 hectares of forest land in the area, which has been the subject of continuous action by the authorities.
To maintain law and order, personnel from the police, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), Forest Department and civil administration were deployed in large numbers. Forest staff from the Terai West, Terai East, Terai Central, Haldwani, Ramnagar and Corbett divisions also participated in the operation. Support was provided by the Public Works Department, PIU Jamrani, Nagar Palika and other government agencies.
An SSP-level officer overseeing security arrangements said a heavy police presence had been deployed throughout the operation and confirmed that efforts to locate Tahir Mulla were continuing. Officials maintained that the objective of the exercise was to remove encroachments from government forest land and restore the land to the Forest Department.
