Ranchi, Sep 18 (IANS): The Jharkhand High Court on Friday ordered an immediate halt to the anti-encroachment drive being carried out by the district administration along the HEC Bypass Road near Birsa Chowk in Ranchi.
The court directed the Ranchi Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police to suspend the ongoing action for the time being. It also granted alleged encroachers time until December 31 to vacate the government land on their own.
Hearing the matter, the bench of Justice Ananda Sen observed that, in view of the upcoming festive season, immediate administrative action should be deferred.
The court said the affected individuals would be given adequate time to remove the encroachments and vacate the government land voluntarily within the stipulated period.
Following the High Court’s order, the anti-encroachment campaign being conducted by the district administration on the HEC Bypass Road has been suspended.
Prior to the stay, administrative teams, accompanied by police personnel and magistrates, had been carrying out demolition and eviction operations in the area. Several houses and commercial establishments had come within the ambit of the drive, triggering protests from local residents.
Representing the petitioners, advocates Indrajit Sinha and Akhauri Avinash Kumar urged the court to immediately restrain the administration’s action and grant residents additional time to remove the structures.
Accepting the plea, the court directed the administration not to proceed with the eviction drive and fixed December 31 as the deadline for the occupants to clear the government land themselves.
The order has provided temporary relief to residents and business owners whose properties faced the threat of demolition under the ongoing campaign. The case pertains to alleged encroachments on government land along the HEC Bypass Road, where the district administration had recently launched a clearance operation.
The district administration launched the anti-encroachment drive to clear illegal constructions on land belonging to the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) and the Railways on Tuesday. The action triggered massive protests by hundreds of affected residents.
Protesters took to the streets alleging that the administration had initiated the eviction process without making adequate rehabilitation arrangements.
