Owners of the buildings situated around the Shree Jagannath Temple here have challenged the Puri district administration’s notice for surrendering the constructions with the administration by filing a writ petition over the alleged illegal action of the administration.
Notably, the district administration has issued notice asking the owners to surrender their buildings by May 10; else the administration would take steps to demolish those after May 13 to widen the road around the temple.
The lawyer of a house owner, Damodar Gochhikar, Amit Das in a Press release on Sunday said the district administration has blatantly flouted the land Acquisition Act’s Section 19. He said the owners should be aptly rehabilitated before acquisition.
Instead of adhering to the rules and norms, the administration has used terror tactics with the help of police, the lawyer alleged. “His client Gochhikar was detained by police for hours to put pressure on him to surrender his house with the administration,” he added.
The writ application is pending with the High Court awaiting a final verdict in the case.