Cuttack, April 8: Orissa High Court has directed the Khurda district collector to demarcate the 0.320 decimal of encroached government land before carrying out the demolition of garvagriha, Lakshmi bhandar and Aruna stamba at Trahi Achyut ashram.

The eviction operation is being carried out at the ashram, run by the controversial self-styled spiritual leader Surendra Mishra or Sura baba, to retrieve one acre of government land.

The 0.320 decimal land on which the structures had come up is part of the one acre of government land that is being reclaimed on the basis of an order of the Khurda collector.

Sri Sri Mahaprabhu Acyutananda Trust, Bhubaneswar, had sought intervention of the high court challenging the order of the Khurda collector related to the 0.320 decimal land.

The petitioner said it was willing to give homestead land in exchange of it. The trust had alleged that the haphazard demolition was causing damage to portions of structures that had not come up on government land.

However, the single-judge bench of Sanju Panda disposed off the petition yesterday with a direction to the authorities concerned to first demarcate the 0.320 decimal area that had been encroached on and then carry out demolition of the garvagriha, Lakshmi bhandar and Aruna stamba.

The high court order came at a time when the authorities were carrying out the demolition of a dola mandap and pothi griha on the encroached land.

They were also reclaiming a road and a dump yard on the government land.

The district administration had said that the eviction drive would continue till the buildings were completely demolished.

Sura baba is at present lodged in jail on several charges, including molestation and possession of firearms.

The township, with more than 200 independent houses, mainly occupied by the baba's followers and devotees, had facilities such as bank, post office, dispensary, shops and storerooms.