By TCN News,
Jaipur: In a shocking and arbitrary exercise of power on the 7th June, 2014, the Jaipur Development Authority, directly under the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, sealed the complete premises of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh which had been in existence on its own land since 1959.
They threw out all the residents and their belongings, cancelled the allotment and took over their land. The insensitivity of the JDA team led by JDA official Pawan Arora and Subhash Mahariya, was such that in the scorching heat of 47 degrees, one resident who had recently delivered a baby, was asked to leave the room by evening, locking the kitchen and adjoining rooms that she could not even be fed. The 80 year old Secretary of the Sangh, Rameshwar Vidyarthi, living with his wife in one room of the premises was thrown out with their belongings and is now on the road.
Similarly, the President of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh’s, Sh. Sawai Singh who had been living with his family, as part of the norms of the Sangh since the last thirty years also found himself with his family and their belongings on their road. The JP Narayan founded Samadhi of Gokul Bhai Bhatt was also treated with disrespect and sealed and as of now the whole place out of bounds. It is also important to know that the letter of cancellation of allotment and seizure of property dated 6th June, signed by Shikhar Agarwal, Secretary, JDA, was handed over by the officials when they came at 1pm on the 7th June. It was an order of eviction and they had come to evict.
The intention of the JDA was clear. Which was to grab the property of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh, convert it to Real Estate and grant it to land sharks. The concerned piece of land is in the prime area, next door to the Airport and Jawahar Circle on JLN Marg, that it is priceless commercially. The Raje Government in the earlier term was well known for its support to the real estate business interests but had spared civil society. This action clearly, sends a message to all, that this Government is merciless and it will get rid of all impediments to its design.
Rajasthan has never seen such straight assault on Gandhian Institutions and ideology. We all condemn this act of the Government.
The argument used by the JDA is that the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh violated the conditions of the allotment of the land in 2001. They had to get a Map passed by the JDA in a years time of its allotment, they had to take approval of construction activity and the space could not be used for any commercial and residential purpose. Notices were given earlier and JDA not being satisfied with the replies to these violations, along with constant notices from the Lok Ayukta to take action for these violations, they were cancelling the allotment.
Countering these lies the President of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh and his team of lawyers gave the following arguments. The Sangh land was in the erstwhile Chainpura village, which was bought in 1959 from a farmer and the registry is in the name of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh. In 1984 when all the land in that area was acquired for the International Airport, the Sangh land too was acquired. However, it was never taken possession off. According to the new and old law, when land is not taken possession off in five years of the acquisition, then the land goes back to the original holder. Thus the land was always of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh since 1989. So this business about allotment becomes meaningless and the JDA. Also there was a Rajasthan High Court stay on the land since 2004 against the JDA allotment, which had handed over two bighas land of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh to Gokul Vatika Sahakari Samiti, this stay order was violated by the JDA on the 7th when it came to take possession of the land of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh. The JDA has actually committed contempt.
However, even if we go by the argument of allotment of 2001, then it is the JDA which has violated the conditions and not the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh.
The condition was also that the JDA would give Rs 40 lacs for the construction of the Gokul Bhai Bhatt memorial, which the JDA never ever gave since 2001 to the Rajasthan Smagra Sewa Sangh,
Secondly, the executive of the Rajasthan Smagra Sewa Sangh was supposed to have two officials of the JDA and one from the Government, the onus of this lapse is on the Government and the JDA and not the Rajasthan Samagra SewaSangh.
The Map was supposed to be prepared under the guidance of the JDA, when did the JDA ever come forward and give its guidance.
The place was never used commercially, the so called use for wedding, were the stray two or three wedding of the family members of the staff. The kitchen run at the back of the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh was for the participants who came for the constant meetings that took place, as the original objective of the Rajasthan Samagra Swea Sangh was to be a space for reflections and churning of ideas. It was the space in Rajasthan where activists from all over came month after month for such meetings.
The notices that were given in 2013 November and 2014 February, were duly replied too and if there was a dispute then the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Singh, should have been called for a hearing, why was it never given a chance to be heard. Similarly, if the Lok Ayukta felt that there was an issue, then too they should have sent a notice to the Sangh. The Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh, never heard from the Lok Ayukta. Principles of natural justice seemed to be compromised by both.
As concerned citizens and members of civil society, from whom the space of Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh has been a space for carrying forward Sarvodaya, Gandhian and JP’s ideals, we condemn this act strongly, and request the JDA and the Chief Minister of Rajasthan to restore the land and the premises back to the Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh. In the eventuality of this not happening, we will resist it tooth and nail and struggle against this high handedness of the Government and expose the Government for its assault on Gandhian Institutions and values.
Joint Statement issued by:
Prem Krishan Sharma, PUCL, Rajasthan
Aruna Roy, MKSS
Er. Khurshid Husain, Jamaat-E-Islami Hind, Rajasthan
Radha Kant Saxena, PUCL Rajasthan
Nikhil Dey, MKSS,
Kavita Srivastava, PUCL Rajasthan
Shankar Singh, MKSS
Renuka Pamecha, WRG
Mamta Jaitly, Vividha
Komal Srivastava, BGVS
Vishwambhar, Digantar,
Arvind Ojha, Urmul Trust
Narendra Gupta, Prayas, Chittorgarh
Khemraj, Pratirodh, Chittorgarh
Virendra Vidrohi, Matsya Mewat Shiskha Vikas Samiti
Maulana Hanif, MMSVS
Kapil Sankhla, PUCL Jaipur
Kamal Tak, RTI Manch
Mukesh Goswami, RTI Manch
Harkesh Bugalia, RTI Manch
P N Mandola, Lok Sampati Sanrakshan
Rajendra Kumbaj, Nagrik Manch
Nishat Hussein, National Muslim Women’s Welfare Society,
Nisha Sidhu, NFIW
Sumitra Chopra, AIDWA
Ashok Khandelwal, Rozi Roti Sandharbh Kendra
Vijay Lakshmi Joshi, PUCL, Rajasthan
Pritam Pal, Health Activist
Yogendra Upadhyay, Educationist
Ashok Mathur, Writer
Anant Bhatnagar, PUCL, Ajmer
Dl Tripathi, PUCL Ajmer
PL Mimroth, Centre for Dalit Rights
Satish, Centre for Dalit Rights
Ajay Kumar Jain
Shyam Menariya, Astha
Bhanwar singh, Astha
Ramesh Nandwana, PUCL, Rajasthan
Chandra Bhandari, PUCL Rajasthan
Ashwani Paliwal, PUCL, Udaipur
Kailash Meena, PUCL, Sikar
Kailash Kumbhakar, Academy for Socio Legal Studies, Jaipur
Bhanwri Bai, Mahila Jan Adhikar Samiti
Richa, Jan Chetna Samiti
Mahesh Bora, Advocate and the PUCL
Usha, Vikalp
Tara Ahluwalia, Mahila evam Bal Chetna Samiti
Kusum Saiwal, AIDWA