High Court’s instructions to the government. Remove encroachments in rivers, drains and ravines and install CCTV cameras

The Nainital High Court has told the government that wherever there is encroachment in rivers, drains and ravines, it should be removed and CCTV cameras should be installed at that place. These should be managed in the same way as accident prone areas of roads are managed.

The division bench of Chief Justice G Narendra and Justice Alok Mehra gave these instructions during the simultaneous hearing of three PILs filed in Dehradun regarding water streams, water sources, environmental protection, including the danger looming over rivers and environmental protection. The next hearing will be on April 15.

On the previous order, the Principal Forest Secretary of the State Government, Secretary Urban Development and Secretary of Revenue Department appeared in the court through video conferencing. Secretary Forest informed the court that till now the previous orders have not been complied with due to some reasons. Therefore, the concerned departments should be given four weeks’ time to comply with the previous orders of the court because the last week of the financial year is going on.

On this, the division bench of Chief Justice G Narendra and Justice Alok Mehra has ordered him to present the report within three weeks and also to appear in the court through VC himself. The court told the DGP that where cases of encroachment come in rivers, drains and ravines, he should order the concerned SHO to file a case against the encroachers and submit a report.

The court also told the Secretary Urban Development to publish a message among the citizens of the state that encroachment, debris and illegal mining should not be done in rivers, drains and ravines so that they do not face any kind of accident during the monsoon season. It should be widely publicized.
Dehradun residents Ajay Narayan Sharma, Renu Pal and Urmila Thapar had filed separate PILs in the High Court saying that heavy construction work is being done in the submerged land in Sahastradhara in Dehradun, which is causing the drying up of water sources and posing a threat to the environment. The second petition said that there has been excessive encroachment and illegal construction on drains, khaals and dhaangs in Rishikesh. It was also said in the petition that there is encroachment on river land of about 100 acres in Dehradun, 140 acres in Vikasnagar, 15 acres in Rishikesh, 15 acres in Doiwala. Especially on Bindal and Rispana rivers.