By IANS,
Ranchi : The Jharkhand High Court Wednesday rejected the state government’s plea to halt for four weeks the ongoing demolition drive against illegal structures in districts.
The government sought a stay on the court-ordered drive so that it could formulate a policy for rehabilitation of more than 100,000 people rendered homeless by the action so far.
The division bench of Chief Justice Bhagwati Prasad and Justice P.C. Tatia rejected the petition and asked the government to submit details on the demolition drive within three weeks.
The government informed the court that it was formulating a rehabilitation policy and till then the demolition drive should be stayed.
The state cabinet Monday set up a three-member committee to formulate a rehabilitation policy and look into the human and law and order angle of the drive.
Over 4,200 illegal structures have been demolished in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and other districts in the last one month on the direction of the high court. The drive has left more than 100,000 people homeless.
Five people, four in Ranchi and one in Dhanbad, are suspected to have died of shock after they were served demolition notices.
Senior leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yashwant Sinha earlier went on an indefinite strike against the demolition.
He ended the strike Monday after the government decided to approach the court for seeking a stay on the demolition.