PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Uttarakhand Congress organised a protest at the State secretariat on Monday against what it alleged protection given to the land mafia by the State government. Led by the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal, the Congress workers assembled at Rajiv Bhawan in the morning. From there, the Congress leaders and workers marched towards the State secretariat. The slogan shouting and placard carrying Congress workers were stopped by the Police near the State secretariat.
On being stopped the Congress workers squatted in front of the barricades and started a Dharna. Addressing the gathering, Godiyal accused the State government of protecting the land mafia. He said that no action is being taken in the cases of encroachment of government land.
A minor skirmish between the protesters and the Police occurred when they tried to push through the security cordon and tried to scale the barricades placed by the Police. Large number of the protesters including the PCC president Godiyal and other leaders were arrested and taken to the Police Lines.
Godiyal demanded that a high level and impartial investigation into the land allotments, transfers of government land, land use changes and various land scams that took place in the State during the last ten years should be conducted. He said said that the Haridwar Municipal Corporation land scam has shown there is a need to ensure greater transparency and accountability in land-related matters.
Godiyal raised questions on allocation of prime land in the George Everest area of Mussoorie, transfer of 180 acres of land of UJVNL in the Dakpathar and transfer of government land to private hands in the Ramgarh area of Nainital district.
The PCC president warned if these cases are not investigated the State may have to face serious situations like land crisis, environmental imbalance and social discontent in the future.
