Tribunal issues a notice to JDA secy to appear in person on May 7

Jaipur: The JDA tribunal Monday issued a notice to the secretary of Jaipur Development Authority, instructing the civic body officials to appear in person and submit a report in the next hearing, scheduled for Wednesday.

"No JDA officials were present in the court room on Monday. So the justice has issued a notice directing JDA officials to appear before the tribunal on Wednesday," said Suresh Kumar Mitharwal, advocate for the applicants.

After the eviction drive on April 9, four residents – Heera Devi, Kamala Devi, Rajesh and Bachchu Singh – moved tribunal with pattas of the erstwhile Jhotwara village panchayat, claiming they have valid pattas from the authorities before the JDA was formed in 1982, and pleaded the court for an order against demolition.

Mitharwal said that there are three types of ownership on the stretch between Jharkhand Mod Tiraha and Khatipura Tiraha of Sirsi Road. All buildings on the southern side of the stretch, under the Jhotwara MLA constituency, are JDA colonies and follow JDA rules and regulations.

However, on the northern side, the stretch between Queen's Road crossing and Khatipura Tirha has buildings with pattas from the panchayat. Then, from Khatipura Tiraha to Jharkhand Mod Tiraha, one fourth of the buildings are part of JDA colonies, while the remaining buildings were constructed before independence.

"Established in 1982, JDA has never approved or taken custody of these old buildings with panchayat pattas. How come they suddenly claim that according to the masterplan the land of these buildings belongs to JDA?" questioned Mitharwal.

The lawyer further said that there are also controversies over the exact width of Sirsi Road, with JDA declaring the road in court as 100-feet wide, not 160-feet.

"From Jharkhand Mod Tiraha to Dravyavati River bridge, where there are army cantonments on both sides, the road is 100-feet wide. It is even narrower on the remaining stretch of the road to Hasanpura. How can suddenly a road become 160 feet wide on just a particular stretch," Mitharwal said.