Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 7 Jan: The Haridwar district administration this morning undertook a major anti-encroachment drive in Piran Kaliyar near Roorkee as it demolished an unauthorised mazaar erected on government land. The action forms part of the Uttarakhand government’s ongoing campaign to clear public property of illegal constructions. Bulldozers were deployed to raze the mazaar located within the jurisdiction of the Piran Kaliyar police station.
Administration sources claimed that the structure had been built on land belonging to the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department. To maintain law & order and avert any untoward incident during the demolition, a heavy police presence was ensured across the area.
It may be reminded here that the Dhami government has intensified its crackdown on encroachments and that today’s operation marks another significant step in Haridwar district’s efforts against unauthorised religious structures.
The officials concentrated their drive around the Community Health Centre in Piran Kaliyar, where encroachments had caused considerable disturbance in the locality. Reports confirmed that the mazaar had encroached upon Irrigation Department property. Despite formal notices issued earlier by the department directing removal of the structure within a stipulated period, the warnings were disregarded. Consequently, the administration moved ahead with demolition using heavy machinery.
The operation was led by Roorkee Joint Magistrate Deepak Ramachandra Seth. On reaching the site, the administrative team took decisive action and flattened the illegal mazaar. Several officials were present during the exercise, including Tehsildar Vikas Awasthi, Naib Tehsildar Yusuf Ali, Naib Tehsildar Praveen Tyagi, Lekhpal Gulfsha and Kaliyar SHO Ravindra Kumar, supported by a large contingent from the tehsil administration and police.
This was not the first such drive in Haridwar district, as the administration along with the Forest Department has previously demolished several illegal religious structures on government land. A similar structure was last month demolished in Bhagwanpur area of district Haridwar. It may also be recalled that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had recently observed that certain elements have been attempting to occupy vacant plots through land jihad. He stressed that his government has adopted stringent measures against such practices, reclaiming over 10,000 acres of government land from encroachers. The Chief Minister further affirmed that the campaign would continue with full determination to safeguard the culture and identity of Devbhoomi.
