The Bhagwat Nagar area. Telegraph picture

The cabinet on Wednesday allotted 11.86 acres of land to members of a co-operative society who could not get possession of their plots in Bhagwat Nagar owing to encroachment.

The Bihar Finance Service Housing Construction Cooperative Society Ltd, Patna, had purchased around 58 acres of land at Bhagwat Nagar in 1984 to provide residential plots/land to its members. Over the years, around 22 acres have been encroached upon.

In September 2012, the Bhagwat Nagar Colony issue had witnessed furore over eviction of alleged illegal 131 structures.

“The cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal of revenue and land reforms department to give 11.86 acres in Gardanibagh area for settlement of those people who could not get possession of their land (in Bhagwat Nagar),” cabinet coordination department secretary Brajesh Mehrotra said.

The decision assumes significance, as the matter is expected to be taken up for hearing in the Supreme Court on Thursday. The government, which would be represented by chief secretary Ashok Kumar Sinha, is expected to put the decision on record in the form of an affidavit in the apex court on Thursday. The government would inform the court about its decision (providing 11.86 acres of land) as part of solution to the Bhagwat Nagar Colony deadlock.

The top court, in November 2012, had asked the state government to act or suggest ways to resolve the issue.

Some residents of Bhagwat Nagar expressed happiness over the government decision. “It is good news for residents of Bhagwat Nagar, Jaiprakash Nagar, Adarsh Nagar. We welcome the decision. We are thankful and grateful to the government. It has saved our homes from being demolished,” said Hira Singh, an active member of Makan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti.

Legal experts, however, said the government is not legalising the colony, instead it has given a much-needed relief to those who were members of the society, but were never given possession of their land allotted to them in Bhagwat Nagar Colony owing to encroachment.

The members of the co-operative society approached the Supreme Court demanding its intervention. Following the court’s directive, a survey was conducted in February 2012, which marked 131 structures as illegal. The court directed the district administration and Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) on September 12, 2012, to demolish the structures within six weeks.

The deadline for removing these buildings ended on October 30, 2012. In the affidavit in the subsequent hearing, PMC officials claimed that owing to the district administration’s non-co-operation, it failed to demolish the 131 structures.