THE DISTRICT administration today took back possession of its 10-acre land valued at about Rs 10 crore leased to Cancer Care Trust at Rau in 1991. The Trust had constructed a building on survey number 498 and 2-1 and began to operate from there. The Rau land was leased for a period of 30 years to the Trust that was constituted to help cancer patients financially and medically.
In 2001, the district administration had taken possession of the building after it was found that Trust had breached the lease agreement but the Cancer Care Trust challenged the move in the Board of Revenue and continued to operate from the building.
The Board passed on the matter to Additional Divisional Commissioner for adjudication. The latter authority upheld district administration’s 2001 decision and remarked that it was well within its rights to cancel the lease and take back possession.
In the meantime, the Trust took huge sums of loan from Bank of Baroda on pretext of extending its services. The loan, along with interest, today stands at more than Rs 3.50 crore. When the Trust could not pay the dues, the Bank corresponded with Debt Recovery Tribunal at Jabalpur for recovery. The tribunal directed the Bank to auction the Trust’s property and recover the sum.
As a result, the Rau land was auctioned in February-March this year while the administration remained blissfully unaware of the process. On learning about the unauthorised sale of land, District Collector Vivek Aggarwal wrote a letter to the Tribunal to stop the process saying that the land belonged to Government and Trust had no right to sell it.
{{/usCountry}}As a result, the Rau land was auctioned in February-March this year while the administration remained blissfully unaware of the process. On learning about the unauthorised sale of land, District Collector Vivek Aggarwal wrote a letter to the Tribunal to stop the process saying that the land belonged to Government and Trust had no right to sell it.
{{/usCountry}}Incidentally, this is the second major instance where the district administration had to take back its land given to a trust, as it misused it. Earlier in February this year, the administration cancelled the lease of Basketball Complex on Race Course Road as it had breached lease conditions and made commercial use instead of promoting sports activity.