3,793 encroachments identified on govt land across Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand authorities -- as part of the ongoing anti-encroachment drive on government land under the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami -- have identified a total 3,793 encroachments across the state, of which it has succeeded in getting 1,288 vacated.

The information was revealed in the data shared by one of the senior officials of the state home department. It includes figures related to the action taken against encroachers since the start of the drive on April 29 to May 7.
According to the data, before the drive was started under the state home department, only 2,608 encroachments were identified by the authorities which rose to 3,793 after the drive. Of the total encroachments, 1,288 were removed, with 2,505 remaining.
Similarly, 1,077 people found involved in the encroachments were served notices to vacate the government land. The data also mentioned that of all the 13 districts, maximum encroachments - 1,433, were identified in Nainital district of which 19 have been removed during the drive while 1,414 are still remaining. It was followed by Haridwar district at the second spot with 1,149 encroachments of which 1,068 have been removed, and Chamoli district at the third spot with 423 encroachments, of which not a single one has been removed so far.
In the capital Dehradun district, a total of 14 encroachments were identified after the drive. Of these, only three have been removed even as 11 remain. The least number of encroachments were identified in Rudraprayag district - five, of which only one has been removed.
In the capital Dehradun district, a total of 14 encroachments were identified after the drive. Of these, only three have been removed even as 11 remain. The least number of encroachments were identified in Rudraprayag district — five, of which only one has been removed.
Speaking to TOI, the senior official of the home department, requesting anonymity, said that the encroachments identified by the authorities “include religious sites as well as dwellings.”
“The drive which was started after a high-level meeting on the same held by CM Dhami, has started showing results as the task forces formed under the DMs of respective districts have sped up the action against encroachments. Officials of revenue, forest and agriculture departments are also assisting the DMs to inform about the encroachments on the land of their respective departments. The task forces are continuously identifying encroachments to take appropriate action,” he said.
Meanwhile, an officer of the state police’s internal security wing which is also assisting the home department in the drive, said that the authorities are facing the “challenge of removing large-scale encroachments which have been on the government land for over a decade.” “It is because the number of encroachers in a particular area is big, who often approach the courts when the government takes any action against them. Hence, we are first focusing on small encroachments which can be removed easily without much hassle. Having said that, the action is being taken against all sorts of encroachments without any bias,” said the officer.
The state director general of police (DGP), Ashok Kumar who had attended the CM’s high-level meeting, said, “As per the directions of the CM, the anti-encroachment drive is being carried out by the respective district task forces with a zero-tolerance approach towards them. It is evident from the fact that after the start of the drive, many encroachments have been removed in Haridwar, Nainital and Dehradun.”