By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 17 May: After strict instructions issued by the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the district authorities and the police administration are engaged in a drive against encroachments on government land.
In an informal chat with media persons, CM Dhami reiterated that government will not relent in this matter. Warnings had been issued in the past, too, to those encroaching on public property to evict the encroachments, otherwise these would be demolished. He warned that no one would be spared. Those surviving action till now would also face action soon. Any encroachment on public property and government land would not be tolerated at any cost.
He stated that the government will continue taking strict action in this regard to clear the encroachments. He again issued a warning that either they remove the encroachment themselves otherwise the government would remove these and take strict action against encroachers.
It may be recalled that maximum number of religious encroachments are on forest land in the state. Sources in the Forest Department state that, with the High Court also taking a tough stand against illegal religious structures on forest land, the department will initiate action on full scale against the encroachers.
According to Nodal Officer and senior IFS officer Dr Parag Madhukar Dhakate, illegal structures are being demolished on forest land in the state on a big scale. So far, 335 mazaars and over 35 temples have been demolished already. Notices have also been served to two Gurdwaras.
Sources also claimed that action will also be taken against officials during whose tenure these encroachments had been constructed. Meanwhile, on the direction of the CM, many departments concerned have constituted a joint task force to remove the encroachments. So far, in the state’s forest and non-forest government land, a total of 2279 illegal structures have been demolished, most of them being mazaars.
In Dehradun, District Magistrate Sonika has been at the forefront of the demolition drive. In Dehradun, alone, 1415 illegal structures on government land have been demolished, so far, and the action continues.
According to the official figures of the Police Headquarters, the district-wise details of removal of permanent encroachments marked on government lands as on 14 May is 1415 in Dehradun, 259 in Haridwar, 7 in Pauri Garhwal, 106 in Tehri, 47 in Chamoli, 416 in Udham Singh Nagar, 19 in Nainital, 4 in Almora, 5 in Pithoragarh and 1 in Bageshwar. The total number of permanent illegal encroachments removed so far across the state is 2279.
