In a major action against the encroachment in Rajasthan, a joint squad of forest and police departments on Monday demolished three illegal constructions, including a farmhouse of a Congress general secretary in the Anantpura area here, officials said.
About 300 personnel from Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC), and forest and police departments reached the site with JCB machines in the early hours of Monday and razed the illegal constructions on forest land spanning over 4,300 square metres, they said.
The farmhouse belongs to Amin Pathan, Rajasthan Congress general secretary. It was among the three encroachments demolished during an anti-encroachment drive that lasted for over three hours till 9.15 am, Kota DFO Apoorv Krishan Srivastav said.
Among the other encroachments that were razed in the operation were owned by Pathan's wife and another person. Pathan could not be reached for a comment on the matter and was reported to be out of the city by his staff.
Notice was served in Fenruary and March
DFO Srivastav informed that the illegal constructions made on forest land in Anantpura were marked during a survey conducted earlier this year. Following the survey, the encroachers in the area were served notices in February and March for evacuation.
Apparently, the encroachers neglected the legal notices which led to the demolition in the anti-encroachment drive.
The DFO also said that no untoward incident or protest occurred during the drive as encroachers had evacuated the place beforehand. Additionally, the household items on the premises were removed before the demolition began, he said.
Notably, days before the state assembly election in November 2023, Amin Pathan had joined Congress after serving as a BJP member for around 25 years. He was arrested in March this year for allegedly obstructing government work and was released on bail from Rajasthan High Court within a fortnight.
(With PTI Inputs)
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