Thursday, 04 January 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Haridwar district administration and Rajaji Tiger Reserve in a joint operation demolished an unauthorised mazar inside the park following the state government’s direction. A few weeks ago, the district administration had held a meeting to firm up a strategy for removing the illegal mazar near Daluwala in Mazmata village under Beriwala forest range. The Rajaji Tiger Reserve officials were also present at the meeting during which they asked those in charge of the illegally constructed mazar to show the documents in support of their claim on the land. As they did not respond, the district administration issued the notice, asking them to remove the encroachment on their own within a stipulated period. However, after the expiry of the given period, the district administration and Rajaji Tiger Reserve launched the joint drive and razed down the mazar.
Speaking on the matter, the Haridwar district magistrate Dhiraj Singh Gabriyal said that sufficient time had been given to the encroachers to remove the illegal structure. “But as they failed to act, we had to demolish the structure and clear the forest land of encroachment,” he said.
The nodal officer for identifying and removing encroachments on forest land, Parag Madhukar Dhakate claimed that 3263 acres of forest land have been freed from encroachment over the past six months in Uttarakhand.
