Sparks Fly Over Eviction Drive at Naharlagun 

A Correspondent

NAHARLAGUN: Reacting to the eviction carried out by the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Talo Potom on last Monday near Naharlagun helipad, the people of the area termed the act illegal and demanded for compensation. During the eviction carried out by the ADM, more than six houses were demolished.

Speaking to the reporters, an owner of the building King Doka said that despite having Land Possession Certificate (LPC), the ADM did not hesitate to demolish his home. He said that LPC was issued to him by the district administration in the year 2011 and the house was constructed in the year 2016. He said that, he had already informed the then DC Sandeep Kumar of the construction of building. “The DC told me to construct a one floor building in the area, to which I have the letter,” he said adding that, even the officials of the civil aviation had no problem with the construction.

Speaking on the notification provided by the ADM, Doka said that on June 30 he had received the notification and July 15 was the day to appear in court. Accordingly, I along with my advocate provided all the relevant documents but the ADM was ignorant to the advocate, he said.

“It was very surprising that despite showcasing all the documents in the court, the ADM demolished the structure,” he said while adding that there are many double stored buildings nearby the helipad which were not demolished. He questioned the district administration on ‘pick-and-chose’ policy for demolishing the structures.

Earlier, ADM Talo Potom had said that the area was notified as a prohibited area in 2012, as per the Civil Aviation Ministry’s norm. As per the ministry’s norm, no structure is allowed within 100-metres of the helipad, which may pose a threat to the safety of helicopters and passengers. Potom said that the owner of the structure was issued a notice on June 30 under 133 CrPC and the structure was demolished as the owner failed to respond to the notice, he said.

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