Haldwani on high alert as Supreme Court prepares order that will touch 50,000 residents

The matter pertains to the alleged encroachment on land claimed by the Railways, where three localities with more than 4,000 families live.

The matter was initially heard by the Uttarakhand High Court following a PIL regarding illegal sand mining in the Gaula River, which flows along the Haldwani railway station. In December 2022, it asked the Railways to give the residents a week to move out, and after that, “to use the forces to any extent, determining upon need, to evict the unauthorised occupants”.

However, panic followed, leading to one of the biggest protests in the area. After an appeal, the Supreme Court stayed the decision, remarking how 50,000 people could be evicted overnight.

According to earlier reports, in 2016-17, a joint survey of the railways and the district administration had identified 4,365 “encroachments” in the marked area.

On Tuesday, in anticipation of the Supreme Court verdict, more than 400 police officers, apart from PAC personnel, were deployed. The SSP Nainital, Manjunath T C, said that paramilitary forces were also ready to move in if the situation gets tense.

“The Supreme Court will rule on the railway land encroachment matter, and we are prepared for the verdict. The entire Banbhoolpura has been cordoned off and divided into four zones. We have deployed three SPs, four COs, eight inspectors, eight SHOs, 400 officers, two companies of PAC, firing and teargas squads, anti-riot force, fire units, and traffic personnel. We have also readied paramilitary forces, such as ITBP and CRPF. The police will crack down on any movement caused by the verdict,” he said.

The Nainital Police issued a warning that they will take the “strictest action” against anyone causing damage to government property. Intensive checking has been directed at district borders, heavy police forces have been deployed in sensitive areas, special surveillance is mounted on “suspicious” individuals, and social media is being closely monitored.

While locals of the three localities — Gafoor Basti, Dholak Basti and Indira Nagar — claim they have been living for generations, the Railways had earlier said that a notification of 1959, revenue records from 1971 and the results of the 2017 survey proved their ownership of the land.

The area is spread over a 2.2 km strip of land and houses at least three government schools, 11 accredited private schools, 10 mosques, 12 madrassas, a government public health centre and a temple.

Sumit Hridayesh, the Congress MLA of Haldwani, who had earlier participated in demonstrations against the HC order, said that the people are anxious about the verdict. “In July 2024, the SC asked the state to produce a relocation plan, but no such plan has been submitted. They have not followed the order. We are hopeful that the SC will decide in our favour. The residents are on nazool land and have not encroached on the Railways’ property,” he said.