leaders of various political parties and activists under the banner of Jan Hastakshep have come out strongly against the manner in which the State Government is conducting the anti-encroachment drive in Dehradun. They alleged that portions of the Raj Bhawan and Chief Minister’s residence too are encroachments on government land which should be addressed before the shanties of the poor are demolished.
While stressing that they respect the orders of the High Court directing removal of encroachments, the leaders opined that the state government had not advocated its position effectively in the court to inform that the state was not in a position to resettle those whose homes were being demolished after being marked as encroachments.
Addressing the media at the Press Club, former Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay said, “Our party has always stood up in support of the poor. During the tenure of the Congress-led state government, a committee had been formed to address the issues of slums and slum dwellers seeking. The only task left was the required notification but unfortunately we lost the election and could not do it. We respect the High Court orders but if the government plans to implement the same, the areas encroached upon for the Raj Bhawan and CM residence should also be cleared.
The drive is targetting only the poor people who have nowhere to go while the powerful people who have encroached upon government land are being left untouched." He further alleged, "In all this, the poor are suffering but no one is considering their situation and problems. The condition is such that with monsoon just a few days away, the poor whose homes are demolished will be forced to live on the roads and streets. The leaders of the ruling party are removing the poor people in order to 'gift' the lands freed to the people close to them,” he alleged.
The former PCC president lambasted the state government for not making arrangements to resettle the occupants before commencing demolition of encroachments. The State's representative should have sought more time from the high court to implement the orders till arrangements were made to resettle the occupants, he added. “Our party will support the people living in the slums. If section 144 is imposed we will raise our voice against it," he added.
Chetna Andolan member Trepan Singh Chauhan said, “The government should have thought about the people before starting the anti-encroachment drive. If these people will die living on roads and street, then no one but the state government will be responsible for the deaths.”
CPI (M) leader Bachi Ram Kanswal, CPI leaders Jeet Singh and Vinod Badoni and Samajwadi Party leader SP Sachan were also among those present at the Press conference.