Eviction notices have been served to over 4,000 families living in an area owned by the railways in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani. Thousands of people are creating ruckus on the streets for fear of being evicted from their homes. These families are at risk of becoming homeless. In Haldwani, notices were given to these families to vacate the land. It is being claimed that these families have been living in unauthorized colonies for the last decade.
The Uttarakhand High Court has said in one of its orders that all illegal occupants will have to vacate the premises within 7 days.
The Uttarakhand High Court had ordered the removal of encroachment on railway land in Gafoor Basti located in Vanbhulpura area of Haldwani. For this, the court had given a week’s time to the administration. In this order, the court had also asked the people living in Vanbhulpura area to deposit licensed weapons.
In December 2021, the Supreme Court has also expressed concern about the encroachment on the railway land and has ordered to vacate it as soon as possible.
A total of 4365 illegal encroachments on railway land will be removed in Nainital district. Soon after the court’s order, residents of the area took to the streets to protest against the verdict. According to the report, the process of demolishing many small structures built illegally on railway land has started. The occupants have been given seven days to vacate the premises. If the house is not vacated within 7 days, it will be demolished.
The families whose houses are being demolished in Haldwani say that they have been living there for more than 40 years. If they are evicted from their homes, they will become homeless. Thousands of people are also taking out a candle march against the order of the court.
According to officials, a drone survey was conducted to demarcate the encroachment area on railway land in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.
