Road to minister's college is on our land, CR tells court

The Central Railway on Monday claimed in a local court that the tar road constructed by public works department (PWD) for an engineering college run by Mehmuda Shikshan and Mahila Gramin Vikas Bahuudeshiya Sanstha being run by minister for textiles, sports & youth affairs Anees Ahmed was on its land.

Counsel for the railways, Nitin Lambat, filed a reply on a petition filed by the education society against the railways for stopping construction of the said road. The matter is being heard by the joint civil judge senior division D Hatrode. The Central Railway claimed it was in possession of the land since 1913. The road was constructed with mala fide intentions to offer an easy approach to the college. The railways quoted a Central Provinces Gazette notification issued on February 21, 1914, in support of its claim. "We have asked that when one approach road was already constructed from Lonara village side, why the college needed another road through the railway land?" Lambat said.

TOI on June 19, had exposed how PWD worked overtime to construct the 15-feet wide tar road from Godhni side to benefit the Central India College of Engineering & Technology (CICET). The villagers of nearby Chakkikhapa, Lonara and Bokhara villages have already said that they did not use the said road. The education society claims it is constructed on a shivdhura', or traditional village path through the fields. The matter has now been adjourned for July 22. Lambat said the Mehmuda Society on December 18, 2007, had asked the said land from the railways. However, when the railways asked it to deposit Rs 3 lakh as one-time payment towards way-leave facility, the society backed out. "We have submitted all the relevant documents to show that the road has been constructed on railway land," Lambat said. On June 15, the railways had stopped construction of the road by digging trenches at eight places and installed barricades. The 15-feet wide road touches entrance of Central India College of Engineering & Technology (CICET) run by the minister. The college has said that it has nothing to do with the road as it was built by PWD between Chakkikhapa-Lonara-Bharatwada villages. However, there are no villages anywhere near the road.