Nainital: Uttarakhand forest department has issued notices to two farmhouses and three resorts, including one run by senior Congress leader Indira Hridayesh’s family, for occupying forest land near Corbett Tiger Reserve.Neha Verma, divisional forest officer, Ramnagar division, told TOI, “Eviction proceedings are going on in Dhukhi in Ramnagar area against resorts and farmhouses that have encroached upon forest land.”According to the notice served on September 18, the establishments have been asked to remove encroachments within 10 days.Meanwhile, Hridayesh had earlier alleged that the notice was part of “a political conspiracy” and claimed that her family had not violated any rules.Earlier this month, the forest department had lodged FIRs against eight resorts adjacent to CTR for encroaching upon forest and revenue land. The action followed a report submitted by a committee constituted by the Uttarakhand high court to look into the matter of encroachments by resorts near the tiger reserve. The committee had found that over 50 resorts had encroached upon forest and revenue land.The HC had on June 19 ordered registration of FIRs “against all persons who have encroached upon forest land under relevant IPC sections and forest laws”.On June 15, the HC had ordered the constitution of a high-powered committee to check encroachments by hotels and resorts near CTR.The committee, after conducting a detailed inspection, submitted its report in two parts naming around 35 resorts that have encroached upon forest and revenue land of more than 100 acres. On August 31, the committee included 19 more resorts and hotels in the encroachment list taking the number of such hotels to 54.The HC directions had come while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Mayank Mainali, chairperson of the Ramnagar-based NGO, Himalayan Yuva Gramin Vikas Sanstha in 2012.

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