Army firm on its stand,asks centre for children with special needs to vacate land

Thanks to the decision of the Local Military Authority (LMA) to stick to the rule book,without any exception,almost 35 special children staying at Manovikas are about to lose the place they call home.

The LMA (Pune Sub-Area) has asked PWC to vacate the plot (5A Rajendrasinhji Road) that they have been occupying for the past 89 years by this month-end. PWC’s requests at even the highest level in the Army as well as the Ministry of Defence (MoD),seeking special consideration for them,have fallen on deaf ears.

It was in January 2012 that the LMA first discovered that the land on which PWC is located is A-1 defence land. After a string of notices,replies and requests that followed throughout the year,PWC were on February 6 given an ultimatum that they must vacate the premises by March 31.

While the LMA has offered to provide them with alternative locations,PWC has claimed that most children at Manovikas as well Free Clinic and Day Care Centre,the other two initiatives operating from this premises,are from nearby areas and relocating might not be feasible for them.

As reported first by The Indian Express on October 9,the said plot — GLR survey no 98 — was given to PWC in 1924 when Lady Wilson,wife of then governor,founded PWC and registered it as public charitable trust.

In 1977-78,a lease for 30 years was reportedly made. But there are no documents with the DEO to show registration or execution of the lease. Over the years,the council was headed by some of the most dynamic women in the city,like Radhabai Ranade,Yemutai Kirloskar and Tehmi Grant. Today,PWC pays a monthly rent of Rs 7,850,although they claim that the portion occupied by the council is only 15,000 sq ft and not 5.38 acres as recorded by the DEO.

Talking to The Indian Express,president of PWC Rakhi Shetty said,“We are a charitable organisation and our request is that the case be viewed on compassionate grounds. In 2008,the Army categorized us as a commercial organisation. We fail to understand how. Our children belong to economically weaker sections and some have been a part of Manovikas since 1989 when it started. We have met Army officers at various levels and hoped that an arrangement would be worked out. But,we don’t see any hope and don’t know where to go after March 31.”

The council’s attempts to seek help from MP Supriya Sule,State Minister Harshawardhan Patil,and Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh have yielded no results.

In an official reply,Southern Command HQ said,“PWC is running a school on A-1 defence land. The occupation of this building is illegal hence not tenable. LMA has considered the issue with compassion rather than on strictly legal terms. Army had offered an alternative site to PWC to relocate the school from its existing premises. LMA is also working with PWC to work out a mutually feasible solution. The policy on the subject does not permit the usage of A-1 defence land for utilisation other than for military purposes. Moreover,the property is required by the military authorities for own usage.”

Unaware of the events going on around them,the children continue to study and play as usual on the premises,remaining in the dark about when their home and playground would be snatched away from them.