The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the railway’s planned eviction from ‘encroached’ land in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, and said 50,000 people can not be uprooted overnight, so viable measures must be devised. In the order, the Supreme Court said the government would have to provide full rehabilitation for residents in the area. “In the meantime, the order passed in the order at issue will be suspended,” the Apex Court said, barring any new construction or development on the land.
Judges Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Judges Abhay S Oka said 50,000 could not be uprooted in seven days. When Judge SK Kaul heard the matter, he said there are many sides to the case and that people have been staying on the ground for years. There are facilities. “How can you tell them to get rid of them in 7 days?” Following LiveLaw’s report, Judge Kaul said:
The eviction was scheduled to begin on 10 January following a Uttarakhand High Court order at a time when mass protests were taking place in Haldwani. For decades, protests by residents living in the area have been supported by political parties such as Parliament, Samajwadi Party and AIMIM.
The case is now listed for next hearing on February 7th.
On the stay order, Uttarakhand Prime Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the government would proceed by court order.
As ASG contested that liberating ‘rail land’ is of great importance to the country’s development, Judge Kaul “needs rail as an already existing rehabilitation scheme for rights/non-entitled couples”
The proposed demolition will affect more than 50,000 residents, 4,365 homes, public and private schools, temples, mosques and business facilities. Protesters claimed to have proper documentation, property registration now called ‘invasion’.
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