Villagers protest ‘illegal possession’ of historic reservoir

Pilibhit: Residents of Mainkot village in Pilibhit staged a protest against alleged illegal possession of a historic reservoir, Sagartal of Rani Maina Devi, a freedom fighter. The site holds socio-religious significance and is considered a place of worship.Resident Om Pal alleged that a Noida-based businessman, Pankaj Jain, had encroached on the reservoir to include it in his under-construction resort near Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.He said the reservoir, spread over three acres, has a temple on its banks. Protesters later gathered at the SDM office at the tehsil headquarters and demanded immediate removal of the encroachment.SDM Pramesh Kumar said a wall had been constructed on the reservoir land and orders had been issued to revenue officials to demolish it within 24 hours and clear the encroachment.On concerns over a resort in the eco-sensitive zone of PTR, divisional forest officer Manish Singh said the range officer had failed to report the matter. “I will ensure that eco-sensitive zone norms are not violated,” he said.