Patna: Rajiv Nagar residents stage protest

PATNA: The residents of Rajiv Nagar staged protest outside the residence of deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad on Deshratna Marg in Patna on Sunday against the notices served on them by the district authorities a couple of days asking them to vacate the land on which they have “illegally constructed their buildings”. The authorities have served notices in the Rajiv Nagar Housing Board case for demolition of the “illegal constructions”.
More than 300 people staged protest andclaimed that they have constructed the houses with their hard earned money and will not vacate the land.The circle officer (CO) has ordered people living on 70 plots to vacate the land.
Yogendra Kumar, one of the protesters, said the government needs to consider the case on humanitarian grounds. “We have been living in Rajiv Nagar for the past many years and now the district authorities are saying we are illegal occupants. I purchased the land after completing the entire government process. The government neither acquired the land nor paid the the farmer from whom I purchased the plot,” he said.
Abhishek Singh said the government has not given any compensation to them for taking their land. “When many of us have built houses on these plots, the government is asking us to vacate the land. In the last 50 years, why did not they intervene? Why should the public bear the brunt of the government’s mistake?” he asked.
Shrinath Singh, the president of Digha Krishi Bhoomi Awas Bachao Sangarsh Samiti, said when people were building houses, the officers did not say anything. Suddenly the government woke up from its slumber to ruin homes of people living there. “Action should be taken against those officials, who neither acquired the land nor paid compensation amount to the landowners when their plots were given to the housing board. The people living there purchased the land legally from ‘khatiani raiyats’,” he claimed.
The housing board claims to have acquired 1024.52 acres of land in 1976 under the land acquisition process by Gazette declaration.
Patna Sadar SDO Naveen Kumar told TOI that they have given seven days to vacate the land. “The government will not give any compensation because they have encroached government’s land. Compensation would be paid only when we acquire the land. In 1974-75, the land was acquired and in 1982, the Supreme Court passed final judgement after which the land was given to the housing board. We have to demolish 70 houses and return 20 acres of land to its legal owners,” he said.