During the nearly seven-hour encroachment removal operation in Poochdi, Ramnagar, everyone was talking about the purchase of land from Salim and Tahir. Some had purchased land from these individuals for three lakh rupees, while others for two to one and a half lakh rupees. Last year, when an investigation was conducted into the encroachment case, it was revealed that land had been sold to 170 families using a stamped amount of 10 rupees. Following the investigation, a case was filed against Mohammad Tahir, Ajmat, Faim Ahmed, Usman Khan, Kamla Devi, and Dhirendra, who had sold the land on the stamped amount.
Families vacated their homes in tears
Before the encroachment on Forest Department land in Poochdi was removed, people began evacuating their homes on Saturday night. The Energy Corporation cut off power to the area. Meanwhile, in the darkness, people continued to tearfully and unpack their belongings amidst the constant sound of announcements outside their homes. As soon as morning arrived, people left with tears in their eyes and crying children in their arms.
Bulldozers demolished 52 houses on 25 hectares of land in seven hours
Early Sunday morning, an encroachment removal operation was carried out on Forest Department land in Poohri, Ramnagar. Nine JCBs and four Poclains demolished a total of 52 encroachments, including 15 permanent ones. Some people attempted to resist the team, but the heavy police presence prevented them from retreating. The encroachment removal operation continued from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the seven-hour operation, a joint team of the Forest Department, Revenue Department, and Police freed 25 hectares of Forest Department land.
In the Ramnagar Range of the Terai Western Forest Division, due to Forest Department negligence, over 100 hectares of land was encroached upon and an illegal colony was built about a decade ago. Meanwhile, approximately 170 families had settled on this land, and the Forest Department had been issuing eviction notices since last year. Yesterday, teams from the police, revenue, and forest departments organized three phases of demolition work. The first phase involved 52 encroachments. Beginning at 5 a.m. on Sunday, the administration issued a final warning to the encroachers, giving them an hour’s notice. Nine bulldozers began demolishing the encroachments at 6 a.m. Some residents attempted to resist the administration’s action, but the police presence prevented them from doing so. Everyone then began removing their belongings. By 1 p.m., the team demolished 37 temporary encroachments, including 15 permanent ones. The forest department subsequently took possession of the land.
Over 300 police personnel were present.
Preparations for the Poochhri encroachment removal had been underway for several days. On Saturday, over 300 police personnel were called in from across the district. The demolition began in the morning with nine JCBs, four Poclain trucks, 10 dump trucks, and four tractors. However, due to the poor and narrow road conditions in the Poochhri area, the Poclain truck could not arrive until 6 a.m. Later, the machines were brought to the encroachment site via Kalusiddh.
Trenching ground land also cleared of encroachment
In 2019, the Municipal Corporation acquired 12 bighas of land from the Forest Department for a 30-year trenching ground in the Poohri area. The Municipal Corporation paid the Forest Department ₹9.8 million for this. Due to the lack of possession, 9 bighas of land had been encroached upon. On Sunday, action was taken to demolish the encroachments from the trenching ground itself. The trenching ground land was cleared of encroachments. The encroachers had cultivated the land in Poohri. Action was taken to clear the land and level the land.
The anti-encroachment drive was carried out from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. During this period, the names of Tahir, the accused who had previously sold forest land on stamp paper, and Salim have also surfaced. A police investigation is underway in this case. Further action will be taken after the investigation.
More than 13 people protesting the action were detained. During the encroachment action in Poochdi, police blocked all the people present in Gularghati, who were protesting. When their demands to proceed were not met, they sat on a sit-in near the barrier. During this time, Uttarakhand Parivartan Party General Secretary Prabhat Dhyani, Munish Kumar, Kaishar Rana, Girish Arya, Bhuvan, Asif, Lalit Upreti, Mahesh Joshi, Sunil Parnwal, Tulsi Chhimwal, Saraswati Joshi, Geeta, Deepak Tiwari, and others were detained and brought to Kaladhungi police station. All were released in the evening.
