Caught between Raja & biggies

EVEN AS tenants of the erstwhile Raja of Mahmudabad prayed for more time, the administration authorities here made it clear that they were willing to wait for another two days before making the move. This would leave them with just two days to ensure compliance of the apex court?s order. So, is the district administration playing safe to give due consideration to Raja?s big tenants?

EVEN AS tenants of the erstwhile Raja of Mahmudabad prayed for more time, the administration authorities here made it clear that they were willing to wait for another two days before making the move. This would leave them with just two days to ensure compliance of the apex court’s order. So, is the district administration playing safe to give due consideration to Raja’s big tenants?

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“We have to get the properties vacated by August 31 in compliance of the Supreme Court directives in this connection. In case we receive any order in the matter either from the High Court or the Supreme Court by August 29, the same would be complied with,” said Commissioner RK Mittal, who along with DIG Subhash Chandra held a meeting with the tenants here at the Collectorate on Sunday.

The Commissioner gave this assurance after the tenants pleaded for more time on grounds of natural justice saying that their eviction issue was scheduled to come up for hearing before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court here on Tuesday. Custodian of Enemy Property in Commerce and Industries Ministry, Dinesh Singh, who has come from Mumbai, was also present on the occasion.
“I am neither a representative of the Raja nor the tenants. I am merely carrying out the orders of the apex court and the administration authorities too were doing the same,” he said. On the issue of Halwasiya Market, he said, the lease of the market would continue till the prescribed period and it was not in his powers to get the property vacated before the expiry of the lease.

The administration officials, however, said they were willing to consider the case of tenants, who possessed similar documents. On the tenants’ request that they should be given at least a month’s time to present their case, Commissioner Mittal said that they should make this plea before the Supreme Court. Besides District Magistrate Ramendra Tripathi and SSP GK Goswami, the tenants of all the five properties in question attended the meeting.