Slum dwellers oppose using electricity and water connections to identify encroachments
Tuesday, 14 MAY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Slum dwellers called the system of marking encroachments after 2016 on the basis of the electricity and water connections documents unfair. Several slum dwellers from near Rispana river on Monday arrived at the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) to check their names in the list of about 550 encroachments that were set up after 2016 as per the MCD’s survey. The corporation issued a notice to these people on May 8 and pasted the list of their names on a notice board of the MCD premises to ensure they can verify the names and take further action accordingly. Some felt relief that their names were not on the list while others who made the list claimed that the corporation is not being fair to them. A woman named Monu said that she has been living in the same house near Rispana river for about two decades and her name is not on the list. However, her brother-in-law bought a house in her neighbourhood a few years ago and took ownership of the electricity connection from the old owner. Despite the home being built there decades ago, the corporation listed his name in the encroachment list because of the electricity connection taken after 2016, she claimed. A man named Shyamlal said, “My house is also listed in the encroachment list. I bought it last year. How would I have known that the authorities would declare it illegal soon? Several people like me bought the houses near river with hard-earned money in recent years. We do not care what the authorities say, we will not let them demolish our houses.” An MCD senior official said that they understand the plight of these people but cannot help them as the corporation is just following the court’s order. If anybody has any problem, they can approach the court, he added.
