Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 1 Jul: The Nainital High Court today heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the alleged illegal sale and encroachment on railway, Nazul and Forest Department land in Haldwani. The petition, filed by Hitesh Pandey, has raised serious concerns about the misuse of government land using fraudulent documentation and questioned administrative inaction.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mehra took cognisance of cases where railway and government land in areas such as Gafur Basti, Gaujajali and Gola Par in Haldwani have allegedly been disposed of illegally using Rs 50 to Rs 100 stamp papers. The petitioner alleged that this unauthorised sale had been taking place for some time and that no effective steps had been taken by the authorities despite the matter being flagged earlier.
Pandey submitted before the court that individuals from outside Uttarakhand, who had come to the state in search of employment, were being sold government land illegally. He claimed that forged identity documents, including Aadhaar cards, had been created for these persons through Common Service Centres (CSCs), following which their names were also entered into the state’s voter rolls.
The petitioner informed the court that though the issue had been raised last year and brought to the notice of the administration, no substantive action had been taken in this regard. It was also stated in court that the government had not filed a reply in the matter thus far. In response, the government counsel mentioned that the issue of railway land encroachment was sub judice before the Supreme Court. However, the petitioner clarified that the current PIL dealt with different aspects and should not be confused with the matter pending before the apex court.
Taking note of the submissions and the lack of response from the government, the High Court has scheduled the next hearing for 14 July.
