In an interesting case, a casual perusal of documents has revealed unauthorised occupation of residential quarters meant for policemen in a village in Dharwad district. Now, after several decades, the police have initiated a process to reclaim the property.
The Police Department has around one acre of land in Mugad village of Dharwad taluk and there existed a police station on the land in the 1970s. There is also a Sub-Inspector quarters and 12 residential quarters for police staff on the land. However, this issue had faded off the memory of the department and with none to take care, these residential quarters are now being inhabited by unauthorised occupants for the last 15 years.
Recently, while leafing through the documents, Superintendent of Police Vartika Katiyar came across this issue and after further scrutiny, she has taken steps to reclaim the property.
On Friday, accompanied by officials from the Survey department, Ms. Vartika Katiyar visited the village, spoke to the inhabitants of the residential quarters and conveyed to them that they have to ultimately find out an alternative accommodation for themselves.
She said that while the station building was not in existence now, all residential quarters had been occupied by unauthorised persons. “However, there will not be any immediate eviction considering the pandemic,” she said.
Interestingly, an Anganwadi building has come up on the land belonging to the Police Department. “The Anganwadi building will remain. We are now contemplating taking additional land in lieu of the land used for the Anganwadi building,” she said.
