Lawyers Burn Tyres Outside Court After 'Illegal' Chambers Bulldozed In Prayagraj
Lawyers in Prayagraj staged a protest and set fire on the street after their chambers were demolished in an early morning anti-encroachment drive by the Municipal Corporation and local administration.
The anti-encroachment drive near the district court early on Wednesday sparked a major uproar. The action by the Municipal Corporation and administration angered district court advocates, who took to the streets in protest. After their alleged 'illegal' chambers were demolished as part of the anti-encroachment campaign, agitated lawyers set fire on the road in front of the court. Given the seriousness of the situation, senior officials from the police and administration are present at the site.
The angry advocates are demanding that an alternative space be allocated for their chambers and that the losses be compensated.
Anti-Encroachment Measures In Prayagraj
On Wednesday morning, a joint team of the Municipal Corporation and administration carried out a campaign to remove allegedly illegal shops and advocate chambers. The action targeted encroachments along the roadside where these unauthorised structures had been set up. The enforcement team of the Municipal Corporation also seized goods from the site.
The advocates claim they had met the Municipal Commissioner earlier, who had assured them that the chambers would not be demolished until an alternative space was allotted. Despite this assurance, the action was taken, causing them significant loss.
Earlier, the Municipal Corporation had also run an anti-encroachment campaign under the Allahabad High Court flyover. At that time too, illegal shops and lawyers’ furniture, including chairs and tables, were seized.
Uttar Pradesh Government's Encroachment Removal Campaign
This move is part of the Uttar Pradesh government's larger encroachment-removal campaign across the state. Earlier in April, the UP government had carried out an encroachment removal campaign in several districts along the India-Nepal border in the state, taking action against more than 250 illegal constructions, as per an official statement.
According to the statement, the drive targeted unauthorised constructions and religious institutions and focused on areas within a 10-15 km radius of the border. Action was taken against 80 illegal encroachers in Bahraich and 119 illegal constructions in Shravasti.
Additionally, 17 unauthorised madrasas were identified and addressed in the process. In Siddharthnagar district, 11 illegal structures were removed, while in Maharajganj, action was taken against 19 encroachments. Meanwhile, in Balrampur, seven encroachments on government land were identified, two were removed voluntarily, and action is ongoing against the remaining five, the government said.
Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, Danish Azad Ansari, stressed the need to end alleged land encroachment, noting that the Waqf Amendment Bill was the need of the hour.
In January, too, the UP government had launched an anti-encroachment drive to remove illegal settlements on the land belonging to the Army in the Vijaynagar area in Ghaziabad.
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