The District Magistrate has taken possession of over 50.47 acres of land belonging to Citurgia Biochemicals at Rishikesh even as the government mulls strategy to order an inquiry into the whole deal.
“We have sealed the entire premises of Citurgia Biochemicals and took back the possession of the land,” said an official in the office District Magistrate Dehra Dun Sachin Kurbe.
While the government has already taken possession of 47.98 acres of land, some families residing in the remaining area were evicted this morning, the official added. The move came just three days after the High Court in Nainital cancelled the controversial Rishikesh housing project and said an inquiry may be ordered in this regard. The Court also asked the government to withdraw all the incentives given to Citurgia Biochemicals, the owner of the industrial land.
When asked about the inquiry, the state media advisor Davindra Bhasin said the government is studying the judgement and would take a decision on the inquiry issue. The court had also observed the bureaucrats misled the government which resulted in granting permission for the land-use change to a private developer to construct a housing project. “It will be a very difficult task before the Chief Minister (Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank) to take an action against the erring officials,” a government official said.
Last year the government’s according of permission to the company, which was producing chemical carbonate at its Rishikesh plant to sell nearly 30 acres of its land to a private developer had triggered a big furore inside the state assembly.