DEHRADUN: In a significant relief to over 50,000 people, the SC has ordered the creation of a rehabilitation scheme for those living on “encroached” railway land adjoining Haldwani railway station in Uttarakhand. The court instructed authorities to identify necessary land for railway track expansion and the families affected by it within four weeks, with the next hearing set for Sept 11, reports Pankul Sharma.
The SC bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan, heard the application by the Centre and Railways to modify an earlier order that stayed the eviction of residents on the disputed land.Railways argued that the retaining wall protecting the tracks was destroyed by the Ghuala river during last year’s monsoon.
“…They are all human beings. Courts cannot be ruthless, but simultaneously, courts cannot encourage people to encroach. You, as the state, when everything has been transpiring before your eyes, you also had to take action,” the court said. “The fact remains that people have been living there for 3-5 decades, perhaps even before Independence. What have you been doing all these years?” it added.
The SC bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan, heard the application by the Centre and Railways to modify an earlier order that stayed the eviction of residents on the disputed land.Railways argued that the retaining wall protecting the tracks was destroyed by the Ghuala river during last year’s monsoon.
“…They are all human beings. Courts cannot be ruthless, but simultaneously, courts cannot encourage people to encroach. You, as the state, when everything has been transpiring before your eyes, you also had to take action,” the court said. “The fact remains that people have been living there for 3-5 decades, perhaps even before Independence. What have you been doing all these years?” it added.