Garhwal Post Bureau
RAMNAGAR, 12 Jul: Ramnagar witnessed a joint action of the Railway and district administrations when an illegally constructed Mazhar called as ‘Pir Baba’ shrine was demolished from Railway land near Lutabaad village. This action is a part of Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami’s ongoing campaign to rid the government land of encroachments across Uttarakhand.
It may be reminded here that the demolition action has followed a formal request by the Railway authorities which had sought help from the district administration to get the unauthorised religious structure removed.
SDM Pramod Kumar led the joint operation, accompanied by police personnel and the Railway Protection Force. Senior Railway engineer Akhilesh Kumar claimed before the media that the structure was an encroachment on railway property. He noted that a prior notice had been issued to the owner of the building asking him to voluntarily remove the structure but no action was taken by the owner. Ultimately, the structure has been dismantled only after the deadline had passed, Kumar added. He asserted that the structure had been obstructing public movement in the area.
SDM Pramod Kumar reminded of the government’s policy of evicting illegal occupations of public land, and he asserted that the demolition action adhered strictly to this directive. The current administration under CM Dhami has already removed 538 unauthorised shrines across the state, and many more reportedly constructed with the aim of encroaching upon government land remain under scrutiny. It may be recalled that the CM has clearly stated his intent to put a stop to the practice of seizing government property under religious pretences.
