DEHRADUN: Several people were displaced from the Aamwala Tarla area of Dehradun on July 11 when their houses, allegedly built on encroached land, were demolished. Almost a month later, some of them remain homeless and are living almost in the open, braving the monsoon.
While the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) claims that rehabilitation of anyone displaced in a demolition drive is an administrative subject, officials of the district administration disagree saying that the relocation of those encroaching on government land isn't their concern. Meanwhile, the displaced say they don't know whom to approach. "There are young children, elderly who need care among us but we were displaced suddenly. We were paying rent. We were not given any notice before the demolition. These were our homes that were destroyed," said Sheelchand, a daily wage labourer who has a physically-challenged son.
Meanwhile, officials say that that "there is no provision to resettle people who have been found encroaching on government land."
"Those who have been displaced due to any calamity can be relocated and rehabilitated, but people encroaching on government land are doing so illegally and cannot be resettled," said an ADM-level official.
He added that "if the persons had been duped into paying rent for living on government land, they need to approach the police."
