Harak Singh Rawat has been transferred from the post of Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) at the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun with the official alleging that he was transferred at the behest of a Cabinet Minister who is ‘friendly’ towards the builders lobby in Uttarakhand. Rawat had taken action against illegal construction and encroachment on municipal land for the construction of Pacific Hills apartments on Rajpur Road in the face of pressure from influential politicians.
After being transferred from the post of MNA in spite of having executed works of the corporation efficiently in public interest in the face of political pressure, Rawat said that a Cabinet Minister had orchestrated action against him in ‘revenge’ for the action taken against a builder for illegality in Dehradun. Rawat has also alleged that this particular Cabinet Minister has played an instrumental role in facilitating encroachments on municipal lands and preventing their removal.
Stating that persons close to the minister are actively involved in land encroachment and illegal constructions in the State capital, Rawat said that he would be making a report on the state of affairs and the role of builders and public representatives in facilitating land encroachment and illegal constructions and submitting this report to the chief minister Harish Rawat.
It is worth mentioning here that though the Chief Minister Harish Rawat has repeatedly stressed on the need for urban local bodies to prevent land encroachment and illegal constructions on their lands, political interference has prevented the municipal bodies from taking effective action against this. The MCD has repeatedly undertaken campaigns against illegal encroachments but political interference has diluted these efforts.
Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli too has repeatedly spoken against political interference in the anti-encroachment drives of the corporation and had also written to the CM in this regard. Considering the transfer of Harak Singh Rawat from the post of the MCD MNA, it appears as if the government has bowed down to political dynamics at the cost of public interest.