Unrest in village near Raipur as residents get eviction notices for 'MLA colony' women lead protest

Raipur, Jun 3 (PTI) More than 80 families residing in Sammanpur village in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur, have been staging protests for the last 10 days after they received eviction notices by the local administration stating that they have "illegally occupied" the land.
According to local residents, the land classified as 'Shamilat Charagah' (pasture land denotes land reserved for common grazing) belonged to their forefathers, and of the total number of houses built there, around 30 were constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), the flagship scheme of the central government for the poor.
They claimed now the government plans to build a colony for legislators on the land in question. However, the administration did not confirm it.
The villagers, particularly women with sticks in their hands, have been staging protests from 10 am till 10 pm every day for the last 10 days inside a community hall in the village Sammanpur, also known by the name Nakti, located on the outskirts of the capital near Raipur airport.
Most of the villagers are daily wage labourers who live hand to mouth.
One of the villagers, Roshan Sahu, told PTI on Tuesday, on April 17 this year, Raipur tehsildar (revenue officials) served eviction notices to around 85 families who have been residing in Bhatapara area, the outskirts of the village to vacate the land.
The eviction notices by the tehsildar said the land situated in Khasra no. 460, measuring 15.4790 hectares (around 38 acres) in Nakti village of the district Raipur, has been encroached/occupied by the encroachers residing in Nakti Gram Panchayat. The order to evict the encroachers from the said land has been passed by this (tehsildar) court on April 11, 2025 under section 248 of the Land Revenue Code 195.
In the notice, the authorities asked the occupants to leave their possession from land failing which the encroachment will be removed forcibly.
The 38 acres of land on Khasra no. 460 does not belong to the government and it has been classified as 'Shamilat Charagah' in the land record and our forefathers are its owners. The names of owners are still mentioned in the land record. Since 1940, our forefathers have been owners of this, he said.
The land, the title of which was owned by our forefathers, was given by them for use as common grazing land (many decades back) as then there was need of it in the village. When the requirement of land arose for extended family members, the gram sabha decided to distribute this land among local residents who were in need. Those who have built houses here also include the descendants of those who were the owners of this land, he said.
In the last 35-40 years, around 85 families from the village shifted to this land, he said.
Of the total houses, around 30 were built under PM housing scheme, while around 10 houses were being constructed under the scheme but were put on hold by the administration after eviction notices served, he said.
Electricity lines were laid by the government in the locality and tap water connections were laid under Jal Jeevan Mission by erecting two overhead plastic tanks in the village, he said.
After spending several lakhs of rupees to provide various amenities in the area, the government now claims its residents as encroachers.
When we contacted the local public representative and administration, they said the land will be used for construction of MLA colony, he claimed.
Sahu, 32, said he was born in a house built on the same land, living there with his family since his birth.
Soni Yadav, 36, a woman who has three children and stood before her home constructed under the Awas Yojana said, they are ready to sacrifice their lives but will not give up their ancestral land.
Newly-elected sarpanch of Nakti village panchayat Bihari Yadav, 48, said the village has a population of around 2,500 people and 85 families comprising around 350 people have received the eviction notice from the tehsildar for encroaching on government land triggering the protest.
These families have been staying here for 30-40 years. The first notice for encroachment was served in 2023 when a private person wanted a road access for his land in the area and later, he was given road access to his land.
"But on its basis now the government wanted to evict these villagers. Why did the government not wake up when facilities under different government schemes were sanctioned in the area," he said.
Talking to PTI, Raipur Collector Gaurav Singh said on Tuesday that villagers were issued notices regarding encroachment seeking their replies, but since they did not appear before the competent authority they were served eviction notices.
"They can still approach the higher authority like SDM court against the notice. Every action will be taken as per the rules," he added.
According to officials, local villagers and some of their relatives from other villages encroached on around 15 acres of the said land in the 10-15 years.
Around 77 families have been issued eviction notices there, they said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)