Encroachments from forest areas to be removed: CM

Shimla, Mar 17 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today reiterated his government's resolve to remove encroachments from forest areas, saying ''encroachment mafia'' will be decimated in the state.

''Strict action will be taken against encroachers and officials who had acted in connivance with the people to encroach forest land,'' he said at a press conference here.

Mr. Singh said his government would not compromise with the people who had encroached upon forest land in the state and particularly in capital Shimla.

The drive against encroachments would, however, be handled ''with a human face'' sparing genuinely poor, while other encroachments would be removed, he added.

Accusing the previous BJP government of legalising encroachments in the state, he said, ''The previous government played the politics of vote bank by regularising encroachments over thousands of acres in government and forest land in the state.'' The chief minister said strict action would be taken against the officials who had provided electricity and water connections to the people who had encroached upon the forest area.

Observing that an ''encroachment mafia'' was resisting the government's move to remove these illegal dwellings, Mr Singh said his government would not be cowed down.

The previous BJP government regularised all encroachments during their tenure and that had emboldened the mafia, the chief minister said.

He accused several officials and politicians of grabbing land and making multistoried buildings in the forest area of the state capital.

Mr Singh said his government would, however, rehabilitated landless people by giving two biswas of land in both rural and the urban areas of the state.

The Special Area Development Authorities (SADA) of New Shimla, Dhalli and Chakkar would soon be merged with the Shimla Municipal Corporation, he added.

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