A day after HC junked occupants’ petition, demolition drive starts at enemy property Metropole
Saturday, 22 JULY 2023 | PNS | NAINITAL
In latest Uttarakhand news, a day after the Uttarakhand High Court dismissed the petition filed on behalf of the occupants of the Metropole compund marked as enemy property, the Nainital district administration and police have launched demolition drive. A team of district administration officials and a heavy contingent of police personnel reached the site in the morning with excavation machines like JCB to demolish the structures in the enemy property compound. A large number of labourers have been employed too. The administration divided the compound into four sectors. Supervised by Nainital SDM Rahul Shah, Kosya Kutauli SDM Paritosh Verma, city magistrate Haldwani Richa Singh and Dhari SDM Yogesh Mehara, a team of assistant sector magistrates and 10 departmental employees along with 25 labourers have been deployed in each sector.
Meanwhile, the illegal occupants started leaving with their household goods after HC scrapped their petition. The administration and police teams faced no resistance from the encroachers till the last report was received. The teams found a two-room set occupied by one Maya Devi locked from outside and then the SDM had the lock broken after speaking to the senior officials and the household goods were handed over to the municipality to be kept in its custody.
It is further learnt that 10 JCBs were being used in the demolition operation that started at 9.30 am. The administration and police looked relieved as the encroachers themselves left the enemy property compound on their own in compliance with the HC’s order.
