P Convent School Construction Illegal, No One Above Law: Distt Admn

KL Report

SRINAGAR

A spokesman of the District administration, Srinagar has refuted the allegations made by an English medium school of Rajbagh, Presentation Convent that it was being harassed and its construction was being stopped without any reason.

As per a statement the spokesman has said that the said school is operating from the Nazool land under the lease hold rights expiring on September 18, 2017. He said, “Within the premises of the school a new construction has been observed to be coming up without the permission of the Nazool department, which is mandatory under the law. Since the School remains closed for the general public, the structure could not be noticed till it became visible from the road adjacent to the building being erected.”

On a compliant, the spokesman said, the officials of Nazool Department visited the site and advised School authorities to produce relevant documents which they failed to do on the spot. The officials have advised them to come to the office of the Assistant Commissioner, Nazool on July 06 along with the documents. The School authorities shrugged away the advice, continued with the work on this illegal structure and did not turn up on the specified date with the documents asked for.

The Nazool authorities, the spokesman added, contacted the SMC where from it was given to understand that though the School had been given the permission in July 2012 but subsequently the same was put to abeyance for want of other legal formalities including the NOC from Nazool. The School authorities were asked to stop the work on July 07, 2013 through the law enforcing agency against which they have come up with the notice and put the children to trouble by closing down the classes on July 08, 2013, he said.

The spokesman said, “The procedure adopted by the government is purely legal to establish the rule of law. However, the School authorities are placing small children on front to shield their illegal construction activities. The District administration has taken a strong note of this it and cannot allow anything happening that is against the law.”

It is pertinent to mention that the spokesman said, “The School is running from the leased land, by virtue of the agreement with the Nazool Department on behalf of governor of the state, and is bound to abide by the stipulations under the Land Grants Act, 1960. The Land Grants Act specifies that the Lessee cannot undertake any construction on the leased land without the prior permission from the Lessor.” Besides, he said school has undertaken an agreement, with their seal and signature, specifying that they shall not raise any construction on the open land without permission of the Lessor and the lease hold will be governed by the provisions of the Land Grants Act, 1960.

 The School, the spokesman said, as per the section 4 of Land Grants Act, is supposed to be a registered charitable society established for a non-profitable purpose. The above mentioned defaults on the part of School administration are grave violations under the Land Grants Act and can lead to the termination of the Lease. The parents and the society, in general, are requested to support the efforts taken by the administration to enforce the law since nobody is above law, the spokesman said.