Jamshedpur: Saryu Roy urges leaders to avoid politicization of house demolition notifications

All parties should come on common platform if concerned to save houses from demolition

Ruling party should get an affidavit from Chief Secretary that not even a single house will be demolished

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, July 17: Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy has called on political parties to refrain from exploiting the issue of saving 150 houses from demolition for political gains. He also appealed to avoid turning these areas, Kalyan Nagar and Indira Nagar, into political tourism spots. Roy emphasized that if all parties were genuinely concerned about preventing the demolition, they should unite on a common platform and form a citizen’s committee.

Roy stated that when the objective was the same, individual efforts would not suffice. He planned to initiate the challenging task on Thursday. During a Facebook Live session on Wednesday, Roy urged ruling parties to request the Chief Minister to include in the affidavit to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) a commitment that no house would be demolished. If such a commitment was made, it would be the best possible outcome. Otherwise, political rhetoric should be abandoned in favor of a unified approach.

Roy highlighted that representatives from various parties had been visiting Indira Nagar and Kalyan Nagar, assuring residents that they would prevent any demolition. However, he clarified that the matter was under the jurisdiction of the NGT, which was equivalent to the Supreme Court, and not at the level of ministers or the Deputy Commissioner. The NGT had asked the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand to file an affidavit detailing the issue and the state government’s stance. A meeting held by the Chief Secretary on July 15 did not indicate any concession.

In his Facebook Live session, Roy mentioned his positive efforts, including consulting senior advocate Sanjay Upadhyay, who had agreed to look into the matter pro bono. Roy emphasized that the time for rhetoric was over, and legal action was necessary.

Roy urged leaders to understand the full scope of the issue before seeking solutions. He criticized the political rhetoric and misleading statements made by leaders visiting the affected areas since July 12. He suggested that the problem could only be resolved through the NGT, and urged major party leaders to send lawyers to the NGT for cross-examination.

Roy also called on the Jamshedpur MP to seriously address the issue in the Lok Sabha, and he planned to raise it during the Assembly session from July 26 to 30. The NGT hearing is scheduled for August 23. Roy expressed hope that no house would be demolished before the Assembly elections, but warned that after the elections, the current leaders might no longer be seen in the area. He stressed that political slogans and statements would not benefit the residents of Kalyan Nagar and Indira Nagar.