DEHRADUN: Forest minister Harak Singh Rawat on Wednesday came to the rescue of the distraught daughter-in-law of war hero Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali , who was last month asked to vacate the land gifted to them in 1975.Speaking with the media on the sidelines of the state assembly, Rawat said, “The matter has come to my notice and I have sought an appointment with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Not only I will demand the withdrawal of the notice but also the waiving off the lease renewal fees for the family.”The minister added that Garhwali was the hero of Peshawar uprising in 1930 and a native of Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand. He has many Uttarakhand government schemes and buildings named after him.The issue of eviction of Garhwali’s family had hogged limelight in Uttarakhand after the daughter-in-law of the military icon, Vimla Devi, threatened to approach Pakistan embassy to seek help in getting land across the border. Devi is the widow of the military hero’s son and lives with her family in Najibabad on the land that was gifted to them by the UP government on a 90-year lease.Rawat said, “I can understand the pain she went through when the family got the eviction notice. Uttarakhand government will do whatever possible to help Garhwali’s family and ensure that they are not forced to vacate the land.”Rawat has already asked the state government officials to get in touch with the UP forest department to get more details about the notice served to Garhwali’s family last month.Responding to Rawat’s announcement, Vimla Devi said, “It would be good if Rawatji helps our family. We will also visit Lucknow and meet the CM to seek relief. The land was given for 90 years and my family has submitted all the documents to the state forest department but even then we received an eviction notice.”

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