Sunday, 10 SEPTEMBER 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Former chief minister Harish Rawat staged a fast at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on Saturday in protest against the anti -encroachment drive in different parts of the State and other issues . After the fast he said that the State government has failed in protecting houses and livelihoods of the people and an effort is being made to acquire the land of farmers in Doiwala and Gaulapar in Haldwani in the name of twin and integrated cities planned by Global McKinsey. He said that a reign of terror is being spread in the name of RERA in the State. Terming the anti -encroachment drive in the State as government sponsored terrorism, the former CM said that the houses and livelihoods of people are being snatched away in the name of the drive. He said that in mountainous parts of the State 80 per cent of the population is living on Bemap (unmeasured) land. The ST and SC population has been residing on such land for generations. Rawat said that these people are being rendered homeless in the name of anti-encroachment drive. He said that the government should put up the case of people in the court. The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara said that land settlement in Uttarakhand was last done in the year 1962 due to which agriculture and residential land in the mountainous areas is still unmeasured. He said that about 80 per cent of the population’s houses, cow sheds and temporary shelters are on such land. The PCC president added that 80 per cent families belonging to SC and ST are cultivating this unmeasured land for generations. He said that on the one hand the government is planning to promulgate ordinance to regularise the encroachments in the slum areas of Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Terai areas and on the other hand the demolition of houses on the unmeasured land in mountainous areas is going on which is unjustified. Mahara said that the BJP government in the year 2018 changed the national highways to state highways and state highways to district roads in order to give relaxation to the liquor shops which were to be removed as per the court orders.
Former minister Navprabhat, vice presidents Surendra Kumar, Mathura Dut Joshi, Mahanagar president Jaswinder Gogi, Garima Dasauni and others accompanied Rawat on the occasion.
