DEO notice to administration against govt offices running from old bungalows in Cantt area

BAREILLY: Defence estate officer (DEO)

Pramod Kumar Singh

on Friday issued a notice to the administration seeking the district magistrate's intervention in vacating some old grant bungalows from where government offices are currently operating. The

DEO

said that according to the Cantonment Act, "commercial activity" of any kind in residential areas is strictly prohibited.

"We have already served several notices to these illegal occupants, but they haven't responded so far. Now, we have requested the DM to take prompt action against them," Singh said.

Officials said that the problem of illegal occupancy of old grant bungalows is not restricted to Bareilly cantonment and that authorities in Meerut, Dehradun and Lucknow cantonments are facing it too. "It has been a trend of sorts for the past few decades. People having the holder occupancy rights (HOR) have rented out their bungalows to private persons and even to government offices. There are several such bungalows in other cantonments where bank branches are running. This is illegal. We have identified four such bungalows here that have been rented out to different government departments," Singh said.

According to the DEO, the office of assistant commissioner of commercial tax has been running from bungalow number 35 for the past 10 years. The property's HOR is with

Lala Badari Das

. In bungalow number 69, whose HOR is with Sultan Begum, the office of deputy commissioner (sale tax) has been running. Besides, central ground water board office has been running from bungalow number 70 for the past 10 years.

When asked why they didn't take action earlier, the DEO said, "Ever since the new government has taken charge at the Centre, the defence ministry has been tracking its property spread across the country. We are examining the records and taking action to take back all defence land from encroachers and illegal occu pants."