Daijiworld Media Network - Ranchi
Ranchi, Sep 18: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday ordered an immediate halt to the anti-encroachment drive being carried out by the Ranchi district administration along HEC Bypass Road near Birsa Chowk.
The court directed the Ranchi Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police to suspend the ongoing eviction and demolition action for the time being. It also granted the alleged encroachers time until December 31 to voluntarily vacate the government land and remove the structures.
Hearing the matter, a bench headed by Justice Ananda Sen observed that, in view of the upcoming festive season, immediate administrative action should be deferred.
The court said the affected persons should be given adequate time to remove the encroachments and vacate the government land voluntarily within the stipulated period.
Following the order, the anti-encroachment campaign on the HEC Bypass Road has been suspended.
Before the court's intervention, administrative teams accompanied by police personnel and magistrates had been conducting demolition and eviction operations in the area. Several houses and commercial establishments had come under the drive, leading to protests by local residents.
Representing the petitioners, advocates Indrajit Sinha and Akhauri Avinash Kumar urged the court to immediately restrain the administration's action and provide 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 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.
The case concerns alleged encroachments on government land along the HEC Bypass Road. The district administration had launched the clearance operation on Tuesday to remove illegal constructions on land belonging to the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) and the Railways.
The action triggered massive protests, with hundreds of affected residents taking to the streets. Protesters alleged that the administration had begun the eviction process without making adequate rehabilitation arrangements.