Khushboo Sandhu : Posted: Jun 12, 2010 : Chandigarh
2.2-acre plot in Sector 24 on which the school functions was resumed 16 years ago.
The Chandigarh Administration has initiated eviction proceedings against a city school after a Right to Information (RTI) query revealed that it was functioning on a plot resumed by the Estate Office 16 years ago.
The file of the matter was gathering dust till a Chandigarh resident filed an RTI application recently.
Now, after going through the record, Assistant Estate Officer Hargunjit Kaur has initiated eviction proceedings against Strawberry Fields School, Sector 24.
According to information obtained under the RTI Act, 2.262 acres of land was allotted in 1967 for construction of the Nehru Study Centre. The land was allotted on leasehold basis.
“The land was allotted to the president for running International Nehru Centre, (and) Nehru Study Centre, and not to any individual. The use of land is restricted for construction of Nehru Study Centre Building and the leasehold rights shall not be transferred in any case,” the information states.
The president in question was the grandfather of Atul Khanna, the director of the Durga Das Foundation, which runs the school.
In 1994, the Estate Office resumed the plot after the allottees approached the Estate Office, stating that they were unable to pay the rent and therefore, it should be taken back.
“As per the records of the Estate Office, the owners had expressed their inability to pay the rent. They had asked that the plot be taken back. The plot was resumed not for any violations or misuse, but because of non-payment of rent,” a senior official of the Estate Office said.
But after the plot was resumed, the Estate Office consigned the file to official records and maintained silence on the issue.
In the same year, meanwhile, the Durga Das Foundation started ‘Strawberry Fields School’ on the plot. Till date the foundation has no permission to run any school from the plot.
“We have initiated eviction proceedings in accordance with legal provisions. Nothing more can be said at this stage. I have recommended eviction from the plot in question. Final call shall be taken by the Estate Officer,” Kaur said.
The senior official added: “Considering the present scenario, it appears that there can be some misuse of the plot, which shall be examined in the inquiry.”
‘This is our land and we can run a school here’
Khanna said the land was allotted to his grandfather. “The land was allotted to my grandfather D D Khanna for cultural and beneficial purposes in 1967,” he said. “A large number of students have benefited from the project. The Administration allows kindergartens even in residential premises. This is our land and we can run a school here,”
When asked whether the plot stands resumed or why did the allottees surrendered the plot to the Estate Office, Khanna expressed ignorance.
“I am not aware if any such thing took place. We are running the school for the last so many years. I don’t know from where these issues have cropped up,” he said.
.JPG)
.JPG)
