Hapur(UP), Apr 19 (PTI) The district administration in Hapur has temporarily suspended eviction notices for alleged illegal land encroachment issued to Dalit families residing in houses provided under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) in Garhmukteshwar, officials said.

A three-member committee has been constituted to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter after it came to light that the land was recorded as a pond in revenue records though Garhmukteshwar municipality had granted residents leases for 100 square yards each after collecting a fee in 1986, they said.

The notices served by the Nagar Palika on April 8 gave residents 15 days to vacate the premises.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Hapur, Sandeep Kumar, on Saturday said that “the notices issued to 41 individuals by the Nagar Palika have been withdrawn on Friday”.

“The District Magistrate has formed a three-member committee to resolve the issue. It is expected to submit its report within two weeks after hearing from all parties concerned,” he said.

A spokesperson for the district administration explained that a revenue team’s on-site and documentary investigation in Garhmukteshwar revealed that the land is recorded as a pond in revenue records despite a residential colony, approximately 35 to 40 years old, existing on the site.

Residents of the Indira Nagar Colony claimed that in 1986, the Nagar Palika Garhmukteshwar granted them leases for 100 square yards each after collecting a fee. However, these leases were not recorded in the revenue documents.

Consequently, the Nagar Palika Parishad Garhmukteshwar issued encroachment removal notices to 41 residents. However the colony residents presented documents related to the 1986 leases and demanded a re-investigation.

“Based on these documents, the District Magistrate of Hapur has formed a three-member inquiry committee, headed by the Additional District Magistrate and comprising the Sub-District Magistrate of Garhmukteshwar and the Executive Officer of the Nagar Palika Parishad, Garhmukteshwar. This committee is tasked with clarifying the situation within two weeks,” said the officer.

Until the committee submits its report, the eviction notices issued by the Nagar Palika Parishad to all 41 individuals have been rescinded.

Residents of Indira Nagar Colony, a Dalit settlement, were rehabilitated at this location in 1986 with the issuance of residential leases and had been earlier living temporarily near the Garhmukteshwar water tank.

Over the past 35-40 years, residents have established their homes in the colony, with some even constructing houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and others taking bank loans to build their dwellings.

The recent cancellation of the leases by the local administration had placed these 60-70 families on the verge of homelessness. PTI COR CDN RT RT