Patna, Aug. 27: Encroachment on Bihar Institute of Silk and Textile (Bist) premises were finally cleared off on Thursday after years of wait.

Asia’s second-largest silk institute came up in 1978, but a greater part of its campus — some 3.5acre — was encroached by local people from 1988.

After years of court battle, the administration was finally asked to clear the institute from illegal possessions recently.

Over 50 families, mostly people from low-income groups and daily-wagers, had constructed concrete buildings and thatched homes on the Bist campus during the years.

But, last week Patna High Court sought an evacuation report from Bhagalpur district administration.

However, the court compliance order was not all that easy for the administration.

On Thursday, the police faced stiff resistance from the “residents” when they went to the site with bulldozers on Thursday. The encroachers threw stones at the police and left the place only after damaging institute property worth Rs 15 lakh.

Bist, one of the eight engineering colleges of Bihar, is affiliated to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), an apex advisory body to promote and develop technical education in the country. It trains students in silk processing, manufacturing, dying, designing and decorating.

While speaking to The Telegraph, Bhagalpur district magistrate Vipin Kumar said: “As the matter is still pending before the court, we cannot comment on the matter.” He, however, conceded that the institute has been freed of encroachments and that the administration is chalking out plans to rehabilitate people, who have been staying on the campus for years.

A functionary at the institute said: “As Bhagalpur is synonymous with silk, such issues like encroachment did not reflect well on the institute and the district’s image. Moreover, students pursuing courses here were bereft of space.”

Lauding the court order, he said it should have come much before. “Illegal encroachment on an education institution premise for 18 years is suffocating. It often led to law and order issues,” he added.

For the residents of Bhagalpur, the silk produced here is both a matter identity and pride.

The place, earlier known as Champapuri, has a strong number of weavers who make clothes, saris and decorative items in silk. Though the silk industry has been surviving without government help and with inadequate raw materials, over 2,000 families still stick to their traditional trade.

Tripurari Kumar, a student, said they were proud of Bhagalpuri silk fabrics eulogised in scriptures and ancient books both in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Zia-ur-Rahman, a silk trader, believes that it is unfortunate that despite their saris fetching good money in markets, weavers continue to be remain poor.