Encroachment on Railway land: Uttarakhand HC asks for property docus

NAINITAL: The

Uttarakhand

high court (HC) on Wednesday heard a

PIL

filed by a local activist

Ravi Shankar Joshi

over the alleged encroachment upon 29 acres of Railways land on which the Gafur Colony in Haldwani, housing over 4500 families, is situated. After hearing the matter, the division bench of Justice

Sarad Kumar Sharma

and Justice

RC Khulbe

asked residents of the colony to present all their property documents within two weeks when the case will next be heard.

The court also asked the HC registry to get a public notice published in two popular newspapers informing people about the court order.

In the previous hearing, Railways presented a 30-day plan before the court to remove the "encroachment". TOI had earlier reported that residents of the mainly Muslim-dominated colony allege that the Railways’ claim to the land is "false" and the state government is up to its “anti-Muslim tactis”.

The proposed drive -- being dubbed the “biggest in the history of Uttarakhand” -- would directly impact around 16,000 people. In 2021, the Supreme Court had asked all state governments to remove illegal settlements along railway tracks after giving a two-week notice to the dwellers of these colonies.