Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani in an effort to protect their homes after an eviction notice was served to over 4,000 families living in the area which belonged to the Railway authorities.
The eviction notices were served to families living on Railway land in Haldwani, who have reportedly been residing in unauthorized colonies for the last decade. Following an order issued by the Uttarakhand High Court, the illegal residents will have to vacate the premises in seven days.
As stated by The Indian Express, Nainital district officials have said that a total of 4,365 encroachments will be removed from the area, which was illegally built on land which belongs to the Railways. Soon after the court order, the residents of the area took to the streets to protest against the decision.
Media reports state that the demolition process for several smaller structures illegally constructed on the railway land has already begun. The occupants have been given seven days’ time to vacate the premises or action will be taken by the authorities.
While the residents of the premises claim that the land has belonged to them for nearly a decade, the Railways told the court that none of the encroachers could present documents proving that it was their property. Further, the state government also decided not to intervene in the decision of the Railways.
Rajendra Singh, Railway PRO, Izzat Nagar told Indian Express, “Around 10 days ago, the High Court judgment came to remove all encroachments on the railway land in Haldwani. There are 4,365 encroachments and we will serve a notice tomorrow (Sunday) through local newspapers. The occupants will be given seven days’ time to shift; after that, we will take action.”
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Families residing in the Haldwani area which is facing demolition have claimed that they have been living there for over 40 years, and they will be left homeless if they are forced out of their houses. Thousands of residents also took out a candlelight march against the order of the court.
Meanwhile, a drone survey was conducted by the Railway officials who are planning to okay the demolition of the illegal encroachments on their land in a few days. The drone survey was conducted to demarcate the encroached area on the Railway land in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, as per the authorities.
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