The recent transfer of Harak Singh Rawat from the post of Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) at the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun has fuelled a round of allegations and counter-allegations. While the Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli and Rawat himself have alleged that political interference especially by a Cabinet Minister and Congress councillors, who purportedly supports encroachers and some prominent builders, is behind the transfer, the Citizens For Green Doon (CFGD) group is also planning to demonstrate against Rawat’s transfer on Friday.
After being transferred, Rawat had alleged that political interference was behind this decision. He had stated that a Cabinet Minister and some Congress councillors were behind the transfer as he had acted against encroachment and illegal construction on municipal land at Pacific Hills Apartments. Rawat was known to have taken effective action against encroachments in spite of political pressure.
The Mayor Vinod Chamoli too has stated more than once that the MNA has been transferred following political interference for the action taken in the case of Pacific Hills Apartments. Rawat’s transfer has only gone on to expose the friction between the MCD and State Government especially when it comes to removing encroachments or preventing illegal constructions by influential builders. While speaking at the All India Council of Mayors meet in Dehradun last year, chief minister Harish Rawat had stressed on the need for urban local bodies to protect their lands from encroachment.
However, later when the MCD undertook a drive to clear major encroachments from its land, political interference prevented the municipal drive from being executed as required. The Mayor had then written to the CM complaining about this. Chamoli has often stated that the stance of the State Government is preventing the MCD from effectively tackling encroachment even as the CM stressed on the need for protecting municipal lands from encroachment. It now remains to be seen whether the situation improves especially when it comes to removal of encroachments.