The Supreme Court will hear a petition on Thursday challenging the Uttarakhand High Court’s order to vacate 29 acres of railway land in Haldwani. Residents of about 4,000-odd home are protesting, praying, and beseeching officials not to go ahead with the demolition.
According to NDTV report, nearly half of the families claim to have land lease and the area even has four government schools, 11 private schools, a bank, two overhead water tanks, 10 mosques, and four temples, besides shops, built over decades.
Following the court’s order of December 20 after a long litigation, the district administration has issued a notice in the newspapers asking people to take away their belongings by January 9. It covers a 2-km strip of land near the Haldwani railway station — Gafoor Basti, Dholak Basti and Indira Nagar, in Banbhulpura area.
Officials carried out an on-ground inspection while residents continued to hold candle marches, sits-ins and prayers to stop the eviction.
A congregational prayer, ‘Ijtemai dua’, was performed by hundreds of them at a mosque in the locality. Imam of Masjid Umar, Maulana Mukim Qasmi, told ANI that people collectively prayed for a solution. Some of the protesters were seen crying.
After activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan made a formal mention in the Supreme Court, a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices SA Nazeer and PS Narasimha said it would be heard on Thursday.
Blaming the BJP government for action against an area where most residents happen to be Muslim, activists and politicians have also joined the protests.
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