Nainital – The Uttarakhand High Court has directed officials from both the Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh governments to appear via video conferencing on March 21 regarding the displacement of around 213 families residing in the Kalagarh Dam area. The division bench of Chief Justice G. Narendra and Justice Alok Mehra issued this directive while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the matter.
As per a report submitted by District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan, three categories of people currently reside in the disputed area—serving employees, retired employees and their families, and workers, shopkeepers, contractors, and suppliers. The report states that a proposal for their displacement has been sent to higher authorities. Since part of the disputed land belongs to the Uttar Pradesh government, permission from UP is required before proceeding.
The PIL, filed by the Kalagarh Jan Kalyan Utthan Samiti, claims that in the 1960s, large tracts of forest land were acquired for the Kalagarh Dam project by the then Uttar Pradesh government. While some land was returned to the Forest Department after the dam’s completion, retired employees and other settlers continue to occupy parts of it illegally. The Uttarakhand government is now moving to evict 213 families from the area.
Petitioners argue that a proper rehabilitation plan should be formulated before displacing these families. The court has asked both states to submit their responses and ensure the officials’ presence in the next hearing.
