Protest against encroachment: Hundreds of people, mostly women, have been turning up to protest in Haldwani, asking for the demolition process, scheduled for January 8, to be stopped. The Railways following a Uttarakhand High Court order had asked the residents Gafoor Basti and Dholak Basti, slums near the Haldwani Railway station, to vacate the land terming it as “illegal encroachments” in a week's time.
Residents of Banbhulpura also held a candle march to protest for their demands following the order of Uttarakhand High Court on removing the encroachment near Haldwani railway station. Over 4,000 families have been asked to vacate the encroached area near the Haldwani railway station.
The appeals challenging the demolition will be heard in the Supreme Court on January 5.
In 2016-17, a joint survey of the railways and the district administration identified 4,365 ‘encroachments’ in the marked area. While the protesters claim they have been living here for generations, the Railways claims that they have old maps, a notification of 1959, revenue records from 1971 and the results of the 2017 survey to prove their ownership of the land.
A congregational prayer 'Ijtemai dua' was performed in line number 17 Banbhulpura area of Haldwani in view of eviction notices being served on people. Thousands of children, women and elders participated in the prayer "for relief".
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