Congress MLA Sumit Hridayesh blames govt over Banbhoolpura eviction

Dehradun: Congress MLA from Haldwani Sumit Hridayesh on Tuesday “strongly supported” the agitation by residents of the Banbhoolpura area against the removal of encroachments from the "so-called" railway land, holding the state government responsible for their "plight".

"People are settled in the area (Banbhoolpura) for nearly 100 years. Seventy-year-old mosques and temples stand there. There is nazul land, freehold land, lease holders..." Hridayesh told PTI.

He said the state government never tried to tell the Uttarakhand High Court about the people to be affected by the removal of encroachments, which is being undertaken by the administration in compliance with a high court order.

"We personally went to the high court to oppose the removal of encroachments from 78 acres of land which the railway calls its own. We went even to the Supreme Court where our senior leader Salman Khurshid is fighting the case but the government which built schools and hospitals on the land did not show any care for its citizens," Hridayesh said.

Hridayesh, who represents Haldwani seat in the state assembly won traditionally by Congress veteran and his late mother Indira Hridayesh, even recently participated in a dharna being held by the agitating residents.

The Uttarakhand High Court had on December 20 ordered the removal of encroachments from 29 acres of railway land in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani after giving a one week advance notice to the encroachers to vacate it.

Thousands of residents of Banbhoolpura had protested the removal of encroachments, saying it will render them homeless and jeopardise the future of their school going children.

There are a large number of women, children and the elderly among those to be affected by the removal of encroachments.

The residents even moved the Supreme Court on Monday against the high court's order through Congress leader Khurshid, who is also an eminent lawyer.

The apex court will hear the plea on January 5.

AICC secretary Kazi Nizamuddin also raised the issue at a press conference in Dehradun on Monday, asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a humane view of the matter.

He had also thanked Hridayesh for strongly taking up the case.

IG, Kumaon, Nilesh Anand Bharne on Tuesday said 14 companies of the paramilitary forces and five of the Rapid Action Force have been sought from the Centre to carry out the removal of encroachments.

Additional deployment of the police personnel has also been sought from the Garhwal region, he said.

The deployments are likely to reach Haldwani by January 8, Bharne said.

A vigil is being kept through CCTV cameras on elements which may try to vitiate the atmosphere and the intelligence agencies have been alerted, Bharne said.

The high court order will be fully complied with and those trying to disrupt peace will not be spared, the IG said.