School on shaky ground: Donated land not registered, faces ownership challenge

The future of the Government Primary School (GPS), Soldha, under the Kotla block of Jawali subdivision, is uncertain due to a land ownership dispute. The school, which has existed since 1955, was built on about two kanals of land donated decades ago by RD Sharma, a resident of Kotla. However, due to the Education Department’s negligence, the land was never officially recorded in Revenue Department records.

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Although boundary walls and classrooms were built on the land, the department failed to legally mutate the land in its name. The land’s ownership still exists in the names of the previous tenants, who became owners under the Land Tenancy Act, despite Sharma having exchanged land with them and gifted this piece to the school in 1996. Unfortunately, no written agreement was ever made between the donor and the Education Department to establish legal ownership.

While the school’s possession is mentioned in revenue records, ownership still rests with the tenants. These individuals have now challenged the school’s possession in court, putting the school’s future at risk. This has alarmed parents and villagers of Soldha Panchayat, who fear their children’s education could be disrupted.

Recently, the disputed land was demarcated by revenue staff, and the claimants installed boundary poles right at the school’s entrance, raising concerns about a possible forcible takeover.

Soldha Gram Panchayat Pradhan Rabjesh Kumari and ward member Dinesh Jaswal have urged the Chief Minister to intervene and resolve the issue peacefully. They stressed the importance of protecting this 70-year-old institution, which serves the local children.

Indira Kumari, the Block Elementary Education Officer (BEEO), Kotla, said the claimants had even cut down all 22 eucalyptus trees on the school grounds. They had permission to remove only a few trees posing a safety threat but went beyond the approved number. “I have submitted a detailed report regarding the erection of poles and illegal tree cutting to higher authorities,” she said.

The verbal land donation has now become a major problem for the state’s Education Department. Without legal ownership, the department is left vulnerable, and the school risks closure if the issue is not resolved soon. Locals stress that a quick and peaceful solution is needed to safeguard both the land and the children’s right to education.