Government school coming up on pvt land!

GONDIA: Encroachments on government lands are quite common. But Prabhudas Meshram, a resident of Mhali village in Amgaon tehsil, has alleged that a local gram sevak, sarpanch and school headmaster are illegally constructing a 'Vasti Shala' (single teacher school) on the land which he has been cultivating for the last 30 years and which, according to government records, is owned by him.
Meshram says he has been farming on forest land of 0.81 hectares of survey no.629 and 621 of the above village for the last 30 years which has already been recorded in land revenue records in 1993. He was also fined Rs 500 on June 26, 1990, which goes on to confirm that the encroachment has been regularised by the authorities concerned. Since this land belonged to the forest department, he had also applied for allotment to him through the forest rights committee in 2006. Following this, the local gram sevak, sarpanch and school headmaster started construction of a school which already has its own building in the village and which is in good condition.
Tehsildar of Amgaon D A Sapate has assured to take necessary steps as per law. However, divisional conservator of forests, Gondia, Mukesh Ganatra said that if it can be conclusively established that the land is in Meshram's possession for the last 30 years, it should have been allotted to him through the forest rights committee.
Meshram has warned of a fast unto death if the construction of the building was not stopped immediately.