Encroachment of forest land for 40 yrs: HC asks govt to file add'l affidavit

DEHRADUN: In a case related to some people encroaching on forest land, by staying on it around 40 years after their lease ended, the Uttarakhand high court ordered the government to submit an additional affidavit in four weeks.
Chief standing counsel CS Rawat informed a division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal that some people had "illegal possession" of forest land in Salbhoji-1 and Salbhoji-2 areas of Khatima, Udham Singh Nagar.Shubham Aggarwal, the Khatima resident who had filed the PIL, said that 19 people in Salbhoji-1 and 11 in Salbhoji-2 were living illegally on forest land. They were given a lease of the land in 1975, which was extended for one more year till 1978, but after expiry of the lease, they did not vacate the forest land.
In 2015, a petition was filed in the HC to extend the lease period, following which the court ordered the forest department to dispose of the said matter. "However, till date, no action has been taken by the forest department, nor has the encroachment been removed," the petitioner said. tnn