Submit data of govt land encroached: Himachal HC

Vijay Arora

Shimla, July 28

The Himachal Pradesh High Court today took serious note of encroachments on government land in Chamba district and directed the government to provide data pertaining to such cases in the entire state within four weeks.

A division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed the order on a petition filed by Tek Chand of Chamba district. The petitioner has alleged that initially a few miscreants encroached upon government land in Panjoi gram panchayat and now over 50 people have built houses/ shops there and have also taken electricity connections for the shops without submitting the requisite documents.

He alleged that he had filed complaints against several persons and eviction proceedings were ordered against them. However, the proceedings are going on for years without any action against the encroachers.

The petitioner stated that he filed a writ petition and a contempt petition in this regard and the government issued eviction orders against the encroachers following court orders, but has not yet dispossessed them of government land.

During the course of hearing, the court was informed by the Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, through an affidavit that eviction orders were passed against 47 encroachers. However, the orders were executed against 26 persons only as 21 persons filed appeals before the Appellate Authority-cum-Divisional Commissioner, Kangra, and got stay orders.

However, the counsel for the state assured the court that in all similar matters in the entire state, the data would be submitted as to the number of cases that had been filed against the government in any capacity whatsoever, where interim orders were in operation against the government, from what date they were operating and what efforts the government had made to get its land vacated.