88-year-old school told to shift from cantonment

Given the charitable work PWC has been involved in,the Army said it is considering the matter compassionately.

An alternate site — Vir Sawarkar School offered to the PWC by the Army authorities-was rejected by the PWC.

“PWC runs a school on Tarapore Road in the cantonment on A-1 defence land. The occupation is illegal and hence not tenable. Keeping in view the humane service being rendered by PWC,the Local Military Authority (LMA) has considered the issue with compassion rather than on strictly legal terms. The army authorities have offered another site to PWC to relocate. The LMA is also working with PWC to work out a mutually feasible solution,” an official statement from the Southern Command said on Monday.

The case dates back 88 years during the British era when the said land (General Land Register-GLR survey no.98) was given to PWC to run the school. As per information available with the Defence Estates Office,the property was resumed by the authorities from PWC on August 6,1930 on a compensation of Rs 35,000.

In 1977-78 a lease for 30 years was reportedly made but there are no documents to show registration or execution of the lease. The Army authorities have been asking PWC to vacate the A-1 defence land and sources have said PWC does not have any document to prove the legality of their occupation of the plot.

Rakhi Shetty,president,PWC refused to comment saying a solution is being worked out with the Army authorities.

It is learnt from sources that PWC had also approached Defence Minister A K Antony through a minister in the Maharashtra government. The option of considering legal methods was dropped by PWC given a solution is being worked out with the Army authorities.

The place has been rented to PWC at a nominal rate of Rs 4 per annum,which Army officials said has not been paid regularly.

It was this irregular payment that brought the matter under the scanner in 2005 and led to the present situation.