Haldwani (U'khand), Dec 28 (PTI) Thousands of residents of Banbhoolpura area of Uttarakhand began a satyagraha on Wednesday to protest the removal of encroachments from railway land in compliance with a high court order.

The protesters said the removal of encroachments will render them homeless and jeopardise the future of their school-going children.

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A large number of women, children and the elderly are among those affected by the removal of encroachments.

Thousands of families are settled in this area for decades. If our homes are demolished, where will we go with our families in the prevailing cold, they asked.

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Congress MLA from Haldwani, Sumit Hridayesh, and Samajwadi Party in-charge Abdul Matin Siddiqui and general secretary Shoeb Ahmad are backing the protesters.

The Uttarakhand High Court had recently ordered evacuation of encroached railway land in Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani after giving a notice to the residents one week in advance to vacate it.

A masterplan is ready to remove the encroachments from the land in compliance with the court's order.

Around 29 acres of railway land is encroached in the area.

Residents of Banbhoolpura area living on the encroached railway land were asked on Tuesday to deposit their licensed weapons to the administration before the process of removal of encroachments from the land begins.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)