Saturday, December 17, 2011

News Article: Jharkhand Govt. to file modification petition


New Delhi| Date:19/04/2011

Ranchi: Amid strong resentment by political parties over the anti-encroachment drive in Jharkhand, the Government on Monday decided to file a modification petition before the High Court on Tuesday and seek a halt to the ongoing encroachment drive till a committee submits a report.

The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Arjun Munda, has set up a three-member committee to look into the problems of BPL families put up on the encroached land, Cabinet Secretary Aditya Swaroop told newsmen. The committee, which will be headed by Development Commissioner with Urban Development Department Secretary and Revenue Secretary being its convener and member respectively, will give its report to the Government at the earliest.

It would look into human and law and order angles, Mr. Swaroop said. The State Government would move a modification petition urging the court for two to four weeks time so that the anti-encroachment drive could be stopped till the submission of report and action on its recommendations.

On the orders of the High Court, the administration has been demolishing structures and houses at encroached places in Ranchi and other cities, triggering widespread resentment and agitations.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's indefinite sit-in to demand rehabilitation for families displaced in an ongoing anti-encroachment drive here entered the second day on Monday. Mr. Sinha had asked the government on Sunday to deal with encroachment properly and approach the High Court to find a way.- PTI

http://www.thehindu.com/2011/04/19/stories/2011041960050200.htm

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Encroachment affidavit sought

The Telegraph
Our Correspondent

Ranchi, May 4: Jharkhand High Court today directed the state to file a comprehensive affidavit on initiatives taken to remove encroachments in and around water bodies of the state.

Calling the government “unorganised”, a division bench of Justice Prakash Tatia and Justice H.C. Mishra, directed it to file the affidavit with details of water bodies across the state.

The judges, after being informed by state counsel R.R. Mishra that the deputy commissioners had filed separate affidavits for removal of encroachments from their areas, pulled up the authorities and stated that individual affidavits were not wanted.

“The deputy commissioners are the administrative heads of their districts, but governance is the state’s responsibility. Hence, the state should have filed the affidavit,” the court observed, while hearing a public interest litigation on removal of encroachments around water bodies and natural resources of the state.

The bench further observed that the state government should be the only authority responsible for answering before a court.

Interestingly, the PIL was filed at the instance of the high court based after media reports exposed the pathetic condition of water resources in the state. The court had issued notices to the government and directed it to file affidavits explaining its strategy to clear encroachments.



JHARKHAND HIGH COURT ASKS STATE GOVT TO STAND GUARD AGAINST ENCROACHMENT

24 August 2011

Ranchi, Aug 24 : The High Court of Jharkhand asked the state government to make sure that there is no fresh encroachment in government land.

Acting Chief Justice Prakash Chandra Tatia issued the directive after an official of Jharkhand Urban Development department had on August 10 filed an affidavit informing the court that all circle officers and police stations across the state had been asked to keep a watch on encroachment or re-encroachment.

The anti-encroachment drive began in April this year after the high court had asked the government to implement the courts’ separate orders passed between 2003 and 2006 to remove encroacher from government land.

Accordingly the drive was taken up in Ranchi, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur and other areas.

On April 22, the ruling coalition announced Rs one crore as relief measures for the displaced people following the anti-encroachment drive.

PTI


Jharkhand moots slum rehabilitation policy finally

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The move has been prompted following resentment over court backed anti-encroachment drive launched by the district administration
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Submitted on 04/19/2011 - 06:44:22 AM
By Chandrabindu

Ranchi: Hastened by widespread criticism on the issue of court-driven anti-encroachment drive, the Jharkhand government has decided to frame slum rehabilitation policy.

The policy would be framed by a three-member panel led by Development Commissioner Debasish Gupta. Secretaries of Urban Development and Revenue and Land Reforms Departments, Nitin Madan Kulkarni and NN Pandey, respectively have been nominated as members.

The committee has been asked to prepare suitable policy to rehabilitate the displaced of the ongoing anti-encroachment drive within a fortnight.

Accordingly, the State government has filed a modification petition in the Jharkhand High Court to hold the demolition drive going on throughout the State for some time.

Cabinet secretary Aditya Swarup said the decision to frame the slum rehabilitation policy was taken at a hurriedly convened meeting of the State cabinet headed by Chief Minister Arjun Munda.

The committee would study the slum rehabilitation policies of other States and try to evolve a suitable way out to deal with the problem of displaced.

“It would  meticulously ascertain the impact of the anti-encroachment drive on law and order situation as well as the human sufferings,” Swarup added.

It may be recalled that the court-backed government’s drive to remove encroachments on public land has sparked off widespread protests and political parties, including those of the ruling coalition, have jumped in support of the people whose houses were demolished during the last one month. More than a dozen people have died either protesting or due to the fear of displacement.

State’s Advocate General Anil Kumar Sinha said that the government had filed the modification petition with a view to seeking some time to frame the slum rehabilitation policy to ameliorate sufferings of the people, who have been settled illegally on the government land.



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