HSVP issues eviction notice to DEO in Faridabad

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Faridabad, April 4

A conflict has developed between the departments of education and the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) over the eviction notice issued by the latter to demolish the District Education Office (DEO) in Sector 16 here. Claiming that the eviction notice was illegal and unjustified, the DEO has sought the intervention of the district authorities.

According to sources in the district administration, the dispute has emerged after the DEO received a notice from the HSVP, wherein it was asked to vacate the premises as soon as possible. The officials of the Education Department have refused to hand over the possession of the four-acre plot, claiming that it was allotted by the state government for a government school building back in the 1990’s. According to sources in the HSVP, the commercial value of the land is reported to be over Rs 100 crore.

According to Education Department officials, the school building, which was constructed around 30 years ago, had been turned into the department’s offices — including that of the District Education Officer and District Elementary Education Officer — for over a decade.

“We received a rude shock when a JCB deployed by the HSVP officials reached the premises on Monday, asking us to leave the building immediately,’’ said District Education Officer Asha Dahiya. She added that while the department was working to respond to the eviction notice, the HSVP officials wanted to demolish the office in an illegal manner. She said the HSVP is not authorised to take back the land allotted to the department by simply issuing a notice. Claiming that while there is no illegality in the case, the Education Department was itself a victim of encroachment as at least two of the school buildings were under illegal occupation of other departments. While around 10,000 trees had been planted on this plot, the department was planning a new school building for around 2,000 students,

she said.

Admitting that a notice has been served to the DEO for vacating the plot, HSVP Estate Officer Sidharth Dahiya said higher authorities have chalked out a plan to carve out residential plots there, which was the property of the HSVP and not the Education Department.