Following an order issued by the Uttarakhand High Court, over 4,000 families living in unauthorised colonies near Haldwani railway station will be served eviction notices and given seven days to vacate the area. According to Nainital district officials, a total of 4,365 encroachments will be removed from the area. The residents, some of whom have been living there for decades, have been protesting against the court order.
The homes and other buildings built on the 2.2 kilometres of railway land have reportedly already started to be demolished, according to railway officials. Rajendra Singh, Railway PRO, Izzat Nagar stated that “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 through local newspapers. The occupants will be given seven days’ time to shift; after that we will take action.”
The state administration claimed during the court that it had no say regarding the aforementioned property owned by the railways. The railways further stated that no intruder could present any legal documentation to claim the aforementioned territory. In a lawsuit that lasted for almost ten years, the court decided in favour of railways after hearing from all the parties.
In accordance with the court decision, joint teams of railway and tax authorities surveyed the encroached area using drones. Earlier this week, thousands of residents took out a candlelight march to register their protest. They claimed they would become homeless due to the demolition push. Many of the occupants were born in the very homes that are currently anticipated to be demolished in the following 10 days. Some of the families have been residing in the illegal colonies for 40 to 50 years.