Action begins to demolish 12 illegal houses on panchayat land in Sirsa

In Gindran village, people are facing trouble due to the illegal occupation of panchayat land. The process of demolishing 12 houses built on this land has now started. The owners of these houses went to the local court and even the high court, but they did not get any relief. Now, these houses will be demolished.

However, on Friday the demolition did not happen because the village panchayat and the house owners asked for two more days to vacate the houses. The Duty Magistrate granted them an extension of two days. These houses are big and some owners have started demolishing their own houses and collecting the debris in case they want to rebuild later.

The complainant, Ghanshyam, who is a dealer in fertilisers, seeds and pesticides, along with his neighbours Bhagirath, Ranveer and Mahaveer, reported that three men built houses in the street, which blocked the entire road. In January 2017, Ghanshyam complained about this issue on the Chief Minister’s window. He explained that the street in front of his house is 38 feet wide, but Bhagirath, Ranveer, and Mahaveer had occupied the land, blocking the way. Ghanshyam’s case went from the civil court to the revenue court and eventually reached the high court.

The civil court in Ellenabad issued orders on September 2, 2024, to remove the occupation of the street in the village. These orders were challenged in the revenue court in Hisar and later in the high court. In December 2024, the high court upheld the lower court's decision.

On Friday, a team led by Duty Magistrate Ankur Garg, along with the police and other officials, went to the village. They arrived around 12 pm to begin the process of eviction. However, when they reached the site, the panchayat and the house owners asked for two more days to vacate their properties. After listening to their requests, the Duty Magistrate allowed the two-day extension.

On the other side, Bhagirath and Ranveer argued that Ghanshyam's shop and house also occupy part of Panchayat land. They claim that Ghanshyam, being wealthy, used his money to win the case and was now pressuring them. They said they were poor and could not fight the case financially.

Jaswant Ghorela, the Sarpanch of Gindran village said the 38-ft-wide street was occupied by about 12 houses. He said that according to the court's orders, the administration had come to remove the encroachments, but the house owners requested two more days to clear their homes.

Ankur Garg, the SDO of the Panchayati Raj Department, said the measurements of the land were taken, and after listening to the panchayat and the villagers, the owners were given two more days to vacate. If they did not clear the land in the next two days, the administration would take further action, Garg added.