SC orders status quo on demolition of 369 houses in Nagpur

The Supreme Court on Monday directed maintenance of status quo in connection with demolition of 'encroachments', mainly houses, on 369 plots reserved for public utilities in Bezanbagh area of Maharashtra's Nagpur. The Maharashtra government had moved the apex court challenging the Bombay High Court order directing the authorities concerned to demolish the encroachments. The apex court had, in March, dismissed a petition filed by residents against the high court order. The dispute dates back to 1977, when the state Revenue and Forests Department decided to take over the land from the Empress Mills and allotted it to a society, the BezanbaghPragatisheelKamgarGruhNirmanSanathaMaryadit. Later, the society members were allotted different plots on the land and it was during that these 369 plots were allotted. In 1979, a layout plan was prepared by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and subsequently, there was an agreement between the society and the civic body for the development of the land, where the land in dispute was carved out for public utilities like parks, educational institutions etc. Advocate Nishant Katneshwarkar contended before the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the government has moved the top court to save the future of families residing in houses build on the encroached land.