By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 21 Sep: Northern Railway has intensified action regarding alleged encroachment on railway land in the Jharipani area. Following the issuance of an eviction order by the Estate Officer’s court, a team of Northern Railway officials arrived in Jharipani on Monday, accompanied by a heavy police force. The team affixed notices to 31 houses built on railway land. Police personnel remained deployed in the area during the operation, and robust security arrangements were made to handle any potential opposition.
According to the order issued by the Northern Railway Estate Officer, a case of unauthorised occupation of approximately 100 square metres of railway land—located near the Oak Grove School in Jharipani—by Jagmohan (alias Sanjh Cafe), son of Darshan Lal, had come to light. Proceedings in this matter were initiated under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.
According to railway officials, the Estate Officer’s court deemed the occupation unauthorised after reviewing the documents and arguments presented by the Railways. The order directs the respondent to vacate the railway land and hand it back to the Railways within 15 days. In the event of non-compliance, the railway administration is authorised to carry out forcible eviction in accordance with the rules and to recover the costs incurred during the process.
While presenting its case before the Estate Officer’s court, the Railways stated that the land in question belongs to them and that they possess old sale deeds to substantiate this claim. In its response, the Railways asserted its right over the land, citing records from April 21, 1886, December 28, 1895, and the year 1920–21. The Railways stated that copies of these documents have also been submitted as part of the case records.
Railway officials rejected the defendant’s claim that the land was private property. According to the Railways, the defendant failed to produce any document substantiating ownership of the 100 square meters of land in question.
In this matter, the defendant had cited the 1940 demarcation, the Revenue Department’s report, and writ petitions filed in the Uttarakhand High Court. The defendant claimed that the demarcation exercise conducted by the Revenue Department did not identify the land in question as belonging to the Railways. Conversely, during the proceedings before the Estate Officer, the Railways pointed out that while the High Court had previously quashed the Railways’ notice-related proceedings on procedural grounds, it had not barred the Railways from taking action in accordance with the law. On this basis, the Railways initiated fresh proceedings before the Estate Officer.
On Monday, a team comprising Northern Railway officials and Railway Police arrived at Jharipani. In view of the operation, a heavy police force was deployed at the site by the Mussoorie Police. A police team, led by Mussoorie Station House Officer (SHO) Narendra Singh, arrived at the location and managed security arrangements during the proceedings.
Ashu Sharma, Senior Section Engineer (Railways, Dehradun), stated that the action of affixing the notices was carried out in compliance with the Estate Officer’s order. Officials indicated that further action would be taken in accordance with the prescribed legal procedure.
Following this action, the ongoing dispute between the Railways and local residents regarding land ownership and demarcation in the Jharipani area has once again come into the spotlight. Local residents stated that they have been living here for decades and had built their homes on land they purchased; the properties are even registered with the Municipal Council. Despite this, railway officials frequently affix notices to their homes, claiming the land belongs to the railways, which is causing the residents mental harassment. They mentioned that they had asked the railway officials to produce the relevant property documents, but the officials failed to do so. The residents declared that they would take the matter to a competent court. A heavy police force, including Mussoorie Station House Officer (SHO) Narendra Singh and Senior Sub-Inspector (SSI) Satendra Bhati, was present at the scene.
