Idgah row may be setteled

Given the elections later this year, it seems chief minister Shivraj Singh doesn’t want to take any chances in Bhopal, where residents in three crucial assembly constituencies, Bhopal North, Bhopal South and Huzoor, have been affected by two major land controversies -- Bhopal merger agreement and Idgah Hills land issue.

There are fresh hints that the state government wants to provide relief to the affected people as it doesn’t want to antagonise them in the election year, especially in the Old City where the BJP wants to make inroads.

On Wednesday, secretary to chief minister SK Mishra and two other senior government functionaries met representatives of people affected by the merger agreement and Idgah land controversy at Vallabh Bhawan and discussed how these controversies could be resolved. The members included Jagdish Chhawani, Bharat Aswani and Narayan Parwani and Harish Ramkhyani.

After the meeting, legal advisor Ghar Bachao Sangharash Samiti Jagdish Chhawni said the MP government seems in a mood to resolve both issues during this assembly session. “We met SK Mishra and other two senior functionaries who told us that the CM wants that people in Bhopal should not suffer and as such both the issues be resolved at the earliest.

Mishra sought suggestions from us as to how we can resolve these issues legally. He has asked me to bring the entire record related to both the controversies and the same would be discussed with him in the next meeting, which will be held within a week or so,” said Chhawni. He said the Bhopal merger agreement controversy, that involves nearly 3000 acres, has affected nearly 10,000 families in Bhopal while as Idgah controversy, 600 acres, has affected nearly 7,000 families.

On Idgah issue, Chhawni said in 1974 the then commissioner of Bhopal declared the Idgah land as a private property. “But surprisingly in 2001, the then collector declared this property as government land. There is also a case pending in the MP high court, under which the HC has asked the MP government to explain the stand taken by the then commissioner in 1974 and by collector in 2001,” he added.