Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, February 02: An encroachment eviction drive conducted today at Kamraj Nagar, left dozens of families homeless. Although encroachment eviction drive is a welcome step but this particular drive left many questions unanswered.
According to the villagers, they had encroached the land many years back but no one from the revenue officials came to evict them. “Revenue Officials said us to construct a RCC house so that we can get a pipe line and an electric connection and when we have converted our house to RCC and when we are now having an electric and pipeline connection why they are coming to evict us,” questions a house owner.
Some of the House Owner whose building was already demolished by the revenue official labors said that rules should be same for all the encroachers and every other encroachment should also evicted.
They further alleged that the administration should also take action against the revenue officials, who took Rs 6000 as bribe from some of residents to issue them the land document , which automatically legalized the encroached land for some, who survived today’s eviction drive.
Meanwhile, a release from DC office today said that a complaint was received regarding encroachments and selling Government land at Calicut area by Eshajee Mohammed & T. Mohammed at survey No.26/P and 165/P measuring approximately 4000 Sq. Mtrs. After verifying the facts, a case under section 447/34 IPC was registered against the accused in the police station pahar gaon on 29th January 2016.
By following the due procedure, Show Cause Notices were issued to the encroachers but they neither appeared nor the encroachments were removed.
Taking prompt action, the competent Revenue Authority passed order to remove the encroachments immediately. Complying the order, the revenue officials along with Tehsildar, Port Blair and sufficient force of A&N Police & personnel from IRBN reached the spot and removed 6 permanent structures at Calicut Village. Similarly, 27 temporary encroachments from School line village, 6 from Brookshabad and 2 from Lambaline were also removed.
Disciplinary action is also being initiated against the concerned revenue field officials for dereliction of duty.
“It is further appealed to the general public to beware of such unscrupulous/anti social elements and to intimate District Control Room on 1070, 238881, if they have any information against such persons engaged in encroachment on Govt. land so that appropriate action could be taken. Such drives will continue against the encroachers,” the release added.
