Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 15 May: The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department to re-examine cases of encroachment on forest land in Banbasa, Champawat and submit a detailed report within six weeks. The division bench comprising of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay issued the order while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Bahadur Singh Patni, who has alleged that hundreds of people have encroached upon forest land in the area, causing congestion and frequent traffic jams that inconvenience local residents.
Earlier, the court had instructed the department to issue notices to encroachers and verify their documents before initiating eviction. In compliance, the department conducted a public hearing and identified 488 encroachers, of whom 314 submitted documents. On scrutiny, 174 were found to have invalid papers and were served notices to vacate the land. However, the High Court has now asked for a fresh evaluation of all the documents and directed that those failing to produce valid records be proceeded against under law. The court also clarified that the Uttar Pradesh government may seek assistance from the Uttarakhand government to carry out the exercise.
It may be recalled that similar concerns have been raised in other parts of Uttarakhand, where forest land and riverbanks have been encroached upon for commercial purposes. Sources have also flagged increasing illegal constructions along the Sharda and Kali rivers in Champawat and Pithoragarh, raising alarms about flood risks and environmental degradation. The High Court has in past rulings emphasised that forest land is a public resource and cannot be allowed to be usurped for private gain.
