The land allocated in Shishambada for trenching ground and garbage treatment plant is categorised as submerged land in revenue records. However, the actual status of the land was concealed by the municipal corporation of Dehradun to secure approval for the project, alleged the Pachwadoon Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (PBSS).
Emphasising that the planned construction cannot be undertaken on the allocated site at Shishambada, PBSS head Azad Ali alleged that political leaders or their relatives had also dubiously secured ownership of such plots of land which are part of the river.
Addressing the media at the press club here on Monday, Ali said that the land in question allocated is registered in the revenue records categorised as Asan river submerged land under section 132 of the Zamindari Abolition Act since 1894 till the current allocation year 2008 starting from Gautam Kund Chandramani to Kulhal where it merges into the Yamuna river.
He said, “The MCD concealed this fact tampering with revenue records to secure approval. This is contrary to the supreme court order dated January 28, 2011 wherein all the chief secretaries of the nation to cancel allotments of land categorised as submerged land. The locals are protesting against this project on grounds of the environmental impact,” he said, while also alleging that Dehradun mayor Vinod Chamoli had secured approval for this land during the term of the Bharatiya Janata Party led State Government. There are other instances too of influential politicians and ministers/elected public representatives at the central and state levels procuring plots of submerged category land in the area.