Locals protest takeover of colony park for school

The residents of Sector 41 are not letting the Noida authority to handover a plot to a trust for the construction of a school.

The residents of Sector 41 are not letting the Noida authority to handover a plot to a trust for the construction of a school.

The-residents-argue-that-they-have-used-their-own-resources-to-develop-the-park-Sunil-Ghosh-HT-Photo

Allahabad high court said residents have built a park and a parking lot on the plot and are now refusing to vacate the land. The court has directed the authority to give possession of nearly 4,000 sq. m land to Sita Devi Memorial Trust for the construction of a school. The land was allotted to the trust by the authority in 2012.

When a team from Noida authority on Wednesday visited the colony to implement the court order, residents of the area protested the demolition of the fences raised around the park and also staged a protest to stall the demolition work.

In the Noida masterplan, the plot is reserved for the construction of a school.

RS Yadav, a project engineer with the Noida authority, who went to Sector 41 to implement the court order, said a master plan is considered sacrosanct for city development and we are following that.

Kamendra Singh from the trust said,”We tried looking for other plots to avoid getting into a dispute with the residents.However, now even the court has asked us to use the plot that was allotted to us.”

Residents, who have built a park and a parking lot on the plot, meanwhile, justified their action. “We used our own resources to develop the park. Without the park, our block will become the least green area in the region,” said Shobha Vedi, a resident who participated in the protest.

Residents argue that the 4,000 sq m plot is not suitable for school as the roads connecting it are very narrow.