Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A major demolition drive by Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Eidgah Hills was abruptly postponed on Wednesday after a jurisdiction dispute between departments left officials unable to act against a large illegal construction on government land.
BMC’s encroachment squad, accompanied by more than 15 police personnel, reached the site around noon to raze a building illegally built on a 5,000 sq ft plot.
However, since the disputed land falls under Nazul (government land), the presence of district administration officials was mandatory. None arrived until 5 PM, forcing the squad to call off the operation after waiting nearly five hours.
Officials from the district administration have now assured that a panchanama (official record) will be prepared by the Tehsildar and Patwari within the next two days before demolition takes place.
“Our team reached Shahjahanabad Police Station at noon and proceeded to the site with police force,” said BMC anti-encroachment assistant Mahesh Gohar. “Since the land belongs to Nazul, we requested presence of SDM and Tehsildar. Neither arrived till evening.” He said that Patwari Taj Ansari reached the site around 5:15 PM but said he had not received any instructions from senior officials, prompting the team to withdraw at 6 PM.
BMC engineer NandkishoreDehria said the team was fully prepared to demolish the structure, as its forged building permission had already been revoked. However, since it is Nazul land, officials could not proceed without the presence of the district administration. The demolition is now likely to take place on October 10.
Illegal construction on cancelled permit
The property in question, located near Ward No. 10 office of BMC, covers about 5,000 sq ft. Sources revealed that the builder obtained a forged “deemed building permission” to begin construction. This permission was cancelled a week ago, leading to the planned demolition drive.
Demolition likely after official clearance
BMC officials said a panchanama will be prepared in the next two days by the Tehsildar and Patwari. Once completed, the demolition operation is expected to resume on October 10.
