PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
The Dehradun district administration has imposed a penalty of about Rs 11 lakh and issued an additional recovery certificate of nearly Rs 80 lakh in connection with damage to National Highway 707A in Mussoorie. The action was taken after a retaining wall near Hotel Devlok at kilometre 162 on the Tyuni-Chakrata-Mussoorie-Bataghat road was severely damaged due to alleged illegal excavation.
On the directions of district magistrate Savin Bansal, an FIR was also registered in the case. The accused have been identified as Anita Thapliyal, Sunita Dhanye and Satish Goyal. During inspection, it was found that the property owners had permission for residential construction from the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA). However, they allegedly carried out illegal excavation towards the national highway using heavy machines, which caused a landslide and damaged the retaining wall. Due to safety concerns, the highway stretch has been closed and traffic has been diverted through alternative routes.
The administration has registered an FIR against three accused persons and a charge sheet will be filed soon. MDDA has been directed to cancel the approved building map and start demolition action. Officials informed that the Mining department found over 1,500 cubic metres of illegally excavated material at the site and imposed a fine of more than Rs 11 lakh at three times the royalty rate. All the repair costs will also be recovered from the accused, officials added.
