In order to evict the unauthorised occupants from a condemned building of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the corporation officials reached the building to take possession of 66 units including residences, shops and godowns in the building on Thursday. Even as the occupants protested, the Dehradun mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ and Rajpur Road MLA Khajan Das reached the site and convinced the officials to grant three months to the residents and shopkeepers to vacate the premises.
According to the LIC officials, the building known as ‘Bharat Estate’ situated near New Connaught Place on Chakrata Road was wholly owned by LIC. The occupants living in the building for past many years were paying very less amount in rent ranging from Rs 24.4o a month to Rs 138 a month. The LIC then tried to raise the rent of the units in the year 2002 but most of the occupants refused to pay the revised rent. LIC also filed a case in Estate Officier’s Court in Dehradun during 2002-03. The estate officer declared the occupants unauthorised and ordered them to vacate the premises while also paying rent and damages on enhanced rent.
However, the occupants appealed in the court of additional district in Dehradun where their appeal was dismissed. After this, the occupants filed a writ petition in the High Court of Uttarakhand where 66 petitions of all the unauthorised occupants which were identical in content and legal aspects concerned, were dismissed by common judgement in the year 2017. A review petition filed by the occupants was also dismissed by the High Court in May 2018.
The LIC officials said that the case was pending for quite some time and that now firm steps have finally been initiated. The building is in a ruinous condition which is beyond repair and has to be demolished.
Mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ said, “Nothing more could be done considering the court orders but a period of three months has been given to the occupants to shift to another place.”