HC seeks fresh status report on encroachment on govt land

The Himachal Pradesh High Court today directed the concerned parties to file fresh status report in the matter pertaining to encroachment on government in Chaithala village in Kotkhai area of Shimla district.
A division bench, consisting of chief justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh, which had taken the matter suo motu on a letter written to the Chief Justice in this regard by a resident of the village and treated the same as Public Interest litigation(PIL), directed the parties to file the status report within eight weeks.
It fixed the next hearing on March 22, 2016.
The petitioner has alleged that around 40 residents of villages Chaithala, Nagpuri Chaithala, Karewag Chaithala and Sevag Chaitala have raised apple orchards on around 500 bighas (100 acres) of government land after felling deodar trees and some of them even availed financial assistance from government for constructing apple grading and packing house and water storage tanks.

The petitioner furtheralleged that the government also provided electricity and water connections to some of these encroachers.
The petitioner further alleged that the government also provided electricity and water connections to some of these encroachers.