DEHRADUN: A
civil court
has ordered the
Dehradun Municipal Corporation
(DMC) to
rebuild
three houses which it said were unlawfully demolished in the Niranjanpur area of the city in 2020. Additional civil judge Indu Sharma also ordered the DMC to pay a
compensation
of 1,000 a day (for homelessness) to the affected families, amounting to 13 lakh each.
The municipal corporation has been given a one-month deadline to complete the reconstruction of the homes. The properties – belonging to Sarita, Guddi, and Shanti Devi -were allegedly under dispute when they were razed during the Covid pandemic. The victims’ advocate, Jitendra Kumar, said that the court had pronounced the verdict on April 12. The court order, however, came in the public domain on Saturday.
“The judge recognised that the municipal corporation’s actions were against the rules, given the ongoing legal dispute. Consequently, the victims are to be compensated for the loss and inconvenience caused by the improper demolition of their homes,” Kumar said.
Houses razed in Doon despite pending case
The victims, who were allocated the plots in 1995 due to their ‘backward and Scheduled Caste status’, had built their homes on these lands with their names registered in govt records. However, in 2003, the DMC claimed ownership of land and threatened demolition, leading the victims to obtain a stay order from the court. Despite the pending case, the corporation proceeded with the demolition, prompting the victims to demand reconstruction and compensation.
