Patna: Patna High Court on Tuesday directed Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi and the Patna University administration to submit a report September 17 giving full details of encroachment at the varsity.

The division bench of Chief Justice Mukesh R. Shah and Justice Ashutosh Kumar passed the order while hearing a petition filed by social activist Vikash Chandra alias Guddu Baba alleging large scale encroachment at Patna University (PU).

He told the court that that there were 275 encroachments on the university campus and the campuses of constituent colleges. The bench on Monday had also directed DM Ravi and the PU authorities to conduct videography and submit it to the court on September 17 sowing how much encroachment has been removed and how much remains to be done.

The reply sought by the court also includes the timeframe in which the remaining encroachment is supposed to be removed.

The state government, on the directive of court, had earlier formed a committee headed by the Patna DM which went through the details of encroachment at PU. The court had earlier directed the Patna DM to constitute a committee to conduct a spot verification of the entire campus, initiate an inquiry with regard to encroachment if any in the area, hear any encroacher if required and submit a detailed report to the court indicating the nature of encroachment, the particulars of the encroachers and other connected factors.

The court had ruled that it was not difficult to imagine the disturbance to the students and teachers from the encroachers.

The bench had earlier remarked, "It was the responsibility of the state to ensure that public property, that too where the institutions of higher level are located, are protected from encroachment."

It had then directed the government to constitute a committee headed by Patna DM and comprising then PU registrar G.K. Palei, who were assigned to inform the court the status of the encroachment at PU including all the colleges, hostels and other university land. The committee is also due to apprise the court as to why the encroachments have not been completely removed so far.