Parmod Kumar
New Delhi, Feb 24 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that residents facing eviction from railway land in Haldwani cannot insist on being rehabilitated at the same site, observing that the land belongs to the Railways and encroachers cannot dictate how it should be used.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi noted that development project requires vacant land on both the sides and that those occupying railway property cannot decide where tracks should be laid.
The Court remarked that instead of insisting on staying at the same place, affected families could be shifted to alternative locations with better facilities.
The Court said that most of the affected families would fall under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category and could seek rehabilitation under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna. It added that while the livelihood of residents should not be disturbed, the issue cannot remain stalled indefinitely.
More than 4,000 families in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area are facing eviction following an Uttarakhand High Court order directing removal of encroachments from railway land. The Supreme Court had earlier stayed the eviction and asked authorities to explore rehabilitation options.
On Tuesday, the Court directed the Collector of Nainital and local authorities in Haldwani to distribute application forms under the PM Awas Yojna to the affected residents. It also asked the State Legal Services Authority to organise rehabilitation camps at the site to help families apply for housing benefits.
