The list of 22 major encroachments in Dehradun released by the Mayor Vinod Chamoli has once again elicited focus on the alarming rise in encroachment and illegal constructions in Dehradun city and its suburban areas. As stated by the Mayor, while the Chief Minister Harish Rawat repeatedly stresses on the need for preventing land encroachment, the stance of the State Government is actually abetting rising encroachment.
As per the list, Pacific Hills apartment has encroached on 886 square metres of municipal land, Max Hospital has encroached on land outside municipal limits, 18 bigha land has been encroached upon near lalpul in Patelnagar,13 bigha land has been encroached upon at Dungalgaon, about 400 homes and shanties are encroaching on 72 bigha municipal land at Brahmanwala Khala, about 0.2760 hectare municipal land has been encroached upon by a call centre at Majra and various other individuals and establishments have encroached upon varying areas of land within and outside municipal limits.
The Mayor had also written to Chief Minister Harish Rawat last year, eliciting his focus on the rising number of encroachments and constructions even in green areas outside municipal limits like on the Mussoorie Road. Rawat himself has repeatedly spoken on the need for urban local bodies and departments to protect their land from encroachments. However, the stance of the State Government appears to contradict the CM’s statements.
According to Chamoli, whenever the MCD attempts to take action against encroachments, either a cabinet minister or some leader of the ruling party comes out in support of the encroachers and thwarts the corporation’s encroachment removal drive. The Mayor has alleged that political interference is preventing the MCD from protecting its lands and removing encroachments.
Considering that the CM has stressed that the State Government will not allow even a single shack to be demolished as encroachment, Chamoli has called for swift action to facilitate regularisation of slums to prevent increase in number of illegal constructions in such slums and other areas. However, it remains to be seen whether the State Government takes necessary action.