In pursuance of High Court orders directing removal of encroachments by resorts around Corbett national park, the authorities started the demolition campaign on Monday. Encroachments by about half a dozen resorts were demolished in Kyari and Dhikuli areas.
Ramnagar sub divisional magistrate Paritosh Verma, Haldwani SDM AB Bajpai and Tehsildar Priyanka Rani headed and anti-encroachment team which was accompanied by police force. The drive began from the Kyari area after which the team moved on to Dhikuli where nine encroachments were slated to be removed. However, owners of two of the buildings had secured stay orders from the high court due to which encroachments by seven resorts were demolished by the team. In view of the possibility of disruption during the anti-encroachment drive, the authorities had called up police force from Haldwani too in addition to the local police. The anti-encroachment drive will continue on Tuesday.
It will be recalled that the Himalayan Yuva Gramin Vikas Samiti had filed a public interest litigation in the high court. The head of the group, Mayank Mainali had stated in the petition that some resort owners in Ramnagar had blatantly violated the law and encroached upon the Kosi riverbed to make illegal constructions. Such activities were also causing harm to the wildlife in the region.
Earlier in May, the chief secretary had submitted an affidavit in the high court stating that about 44 hotels and resorts had encroached on government and forest land around the Corbett national park and were conducting their business on such locations. Chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh had stated in his affidavit that during April the Nainital district magistrate had conducted a site inspection of resorts in Ramnagar and nearby locations which had revealed that 44 resorts had encroached upon government land, forest land, barren land of the Government and other types of land.