Sambalpur, March 12: The BJP will soon have to shift its office from Kacheri Road here because the district sub-collector has upheld an order of local tehsildar to the party to vacate the land and the building.

The party has been functioning from the building for 20 years. The sub-collector, who passed the order on March 8, communicated the decision to the tehsildar on Monday. The district unit of the BJP had moved the sub-collector after it had received a notice from the tehsildar to vacate the premises within 30 days.

Claiming its rights over the land and the property, the revenue official had declared BJP’s occupation as illegal. The revenue divisional commissioner, northern division, had directed the district administration to evict the occupants because the BJP did not have any legal and valid document.

In his letter on May 23, 2012, the revenue divisional commissioner had made it clear that land should be kept with the district administration for future development purposes.

Additional public prosecutor Prafulla Mohapatra said after the tehsildar had issued a notice to the BJP, the party had approached the high court which had rejected the petition and directed the revenue official to carry out the legal procedure for eviction.

Subsequently, the tehsildar passed another order asking the BJP to vacate the premises within 30 days. The BJP had filed a suit and prayed for temporary injunction in the lower court, and later, the court of the district judge. The petitions were dismissed in both courts.

“The BJP preferred the encroachment appeal in the court of the sub-collector of Sambalpur. The appellate court had granted an interim stay on January 10, 2013. On March 8, the final order was passed,” said Mohapatra.