‘We are a welfare state’: Uttarakhand HC stays demolition of slums in Dehradun
Hearing an urgent matter, the Uttarakhand High Court on Saturday stayed an ongoing drive to free water bodies and seasonal streams of encroachments in Dehradun, saying arbitrary action under the cover of court orders will not be allowed.
During the last hearing, the court had asked the state to install CCTV cameras and the DGP to inform the SHOs in the respective area to take action against those dumping debris into water bodies. The matter was listed on April 15. However, on April 5, the administration started the serving notices to residents in slums in Vikasnagar, and demolitions were initiated later, prompting an urgent hearing.
Chief Justice G Narender said that the state should have sent notices, conducted a survey, and proceeded. “All this is done to force the court to tie its own h...