Haldwani, in Uttarakhand, was put on high alert as the Supreme Court prepared for an order that could likely affect over 4,300 families in the district. Several police personnel were deployed across regions on Tuesday. 23 people were held by the police under preventive detention, while 123 were “bound down”.
The issue is regarding the land encroachment case. It is alleged that the railways have claimed the land, which included three localities and was inhabited by 4,300 families in Haldwani. Initially, the matter was presented to the High Court in Uttarakhand after a PIL regarding sand mining in the Gaula river was registered. The river runs along the Railway station in Haldwani.
In 2022, the court asked Railways to give a time of one week for the residents to evacuate, while also declaring that it had the right to use force to evict any illegal occupant. This led to a panic-like situation in the city, after which the Supreme Court intervened to put a stay on the order, which affects 50,000 people. As per a survey conducted in 2016-17, 4,365 areas were identified as “encroachments” in the district.
Due to the anticipated order, the state government deployed 400 officers, along with PAC personnel. Manjunath TC, the SSP of Nainital, said that paramilitary forces were also kept on high alert if the situation became tense. He stated that since the Supreme Court will give a verdict on the matter soon, they were prepared for it. Speaking of the preparation, the SSP states that the entire Banbhoolpura was divided into four zones, and three SPs, four COs, eight inspectors, eight SHOs, 400 officers, and teams of fire-fighters, anti-riot force, and traffic personnel have been sent to all the divisions.
Later, the Nainital police also issued an order that “strictest action” will be taken against anybody who harms government property. While strict checking at border districts has been mandated. The people living in the main areas that fall under the allegedly encroached land, Dholak Basti, Gafoor Basti, and Indira Nagar, say that they have been living in the region for generations. The railways claim that the 1959 notifications, the 1971 revenue records and the 2017 survey showed that the Land belonged to the railways.
