Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the State Government should be held responsible if I or anybody from my family dies in case the roof of my dilapidated house caves in," reads an affidavit filed by Nazar Ali Khan, who lives in Bungalow no 25 at Bangla Bageecha locality in Neemuch district.
This apparently awkward affidavit reflects the deep anguish of not only Nazar Ali Khan but hundreds of other residents of the area who have been prohibited from carrying out any renovation or construction work in the area by a notification of the State Government in year 2010 to acquire the area which was passed on recommendation of Neemuch district administration.
Under the notification, no one is allowed to do any construction or renovation of buildings. Besides, new land registrations are also not allowed as the administration was authorised to acquire the whole area and then give land rights to the residents. This notification was challenged in the high court which granted a stay order against the acquisition. But the ban on construction or renovation continued.
"Due to the inhuman order, we have been prohibited by the Government to make any change in the houses and even urgently required renovations are not permitted. My house is very old and the roof has cracked. It can just fall at any moment, but we are helpless in face of the tughlaqui farmaan of the Government," said Khan with deep anguish borne out of helplessness.
Criticising the blanket ban imposed by the administration, Neemuch Municipality Chairperson Neeta Dua said, "The interference by district administration in the dispute between the municipality and city residents was totally uncalled for."
Notably, before 2010, a dispute between Neemuch Municipality and residents who were living in the bungalows built over the municipal land existed since 1979 regarding ownership of the lands. The municipality was demanding that the owners of the bungalows should pay its full price of the land. The dispute went to high court which directed the then Chief Secretary Avani Vaishya to solve it.
Vaishya in turn directed the then Collector to take steps to resolve the dispute who proposed acquisition of the entire area that has led to the present stalemate.