Patna, Nov. 28: A bustling police housing colony has been thriving for the past two decades on encroached army land in Rohtas.
Several buildings, housing personnel posted at different police stations of the district, have been constructed on the land belonging to the Indian Army at Dehri-on-Sone, about 165km south of Patna.
At least 11 buildings, including three double-storied ones, have been constructed on approximately 1 acre of the army’s land. Officials posted at Dehri, Indrapuri, Nokha and other adjoining police stations, which still don’t have residential quarters, have been allotted rooms in the buildings. The station house officer of Dehri police station also resides in one of the buildings constructed on the encroached land.
Sources said an old building of Dehri police station was also located on the encroached land. The building was inaugurated by Gaurishanker Rath, an IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, on October 4, 1984, after which other constructions started.
“A water tank has recently been built on encroached land,” a resident of Dehri-on-Sone said.
The encroached portion is part of a 17-acre contiguous plot of land owned by the army for centuries. During the British period, the land was used as a camping ground for defence personnel. Sources in the Danapur cantonment said the land along GT Road was acquired by the Mughal emperors for providing shelter to the soldiers while moving from one place to another.
If the law enforcers can do it, so can the others. Local residents have built at least 50 houses, both concrete and makeshift, on the land. Even liquor shops have been set up and generator sets installed in violation of the directive of the defence establishment.
“The number of encroachers is growing day by day. The policemen posted at Dehri police station are least bothered about encroachment on the land belonging to the defence as they themselves are the defaulters,” a local resident said under cover of anonymity.
When the matter came to the notice of Danapur cantonment authorities in Patna, they raised serious objections and reported it to Rohtas superintendent of police Manu Maharaj. Subsequently, a complaint was lodged at Dehri police station against eight alleged encroachers on November 22, 2011.
Those named as accused in the complaint are Gulabi Devi, Sarfaraz, Zarina Begham, Mukhtar, Biran Paswan, Manoranjan Gupta and Abdul Mannan. Sources said that A.K. Singh, a defence official, visited Dehri police station and submitted a written complaint to the station house officer in this connection. Maharaj was reluctant to speak on the subject. Higher-ups in the police brass in Patna were not available for comment.
Station house officer of Dehri police station Ajay Kumar said: “Action has been initiated against land encroachers under sections 107 and 144 of the CrPC.” He, however, said he was ignorant about any police building constructed on encroached land.
Subrat Pal, defence estates officer of Bihar and Odisha, said: “We have apprised the Rohtas SP of the matter and sought his intervention.” Pal, however, refused to elaborate. “I would not like to raise issues related to defence through the media,” he told The Telegraph over phone on Sunday.
However, another defence official said, on condition of anonymity, that the defence estates officer had written to the principal director of defence in Lucknow about encroachment of land at Dehri-on-Sone. “There is a provision for the use of defence land. The state agency (read the police) should have sought permission before constructing buildings for the use of its personnel,” he said.
Sources said a portion of land of the defence is auctioned on lease for vegetable growing every year. The then defence estates officer of Bihar and Odisha (Danapur cantonment), Shailendra Nath Gupta, had also written to the police and administrative officials urging them to remove the encroachments. However, no action was taken and more and more houses came up on the land.
