Jagdeesan heads for confrontation

SURAT, June 20: Municipal commissioner S Jagadeesan and the standing committee appear to be heading for confrontation over a piece of land given to a local Mahila Mandal a ragpickers association of the Rasulabad slum area to run a scrap shop. The ragpickers built a temporary structure on 20 X 40 feet land after they obtained the commissioner8217;s permission to expand the existing scrap shop.

The ragpickers, who were all praise for the commissioner8217;s kind gesture, received a rude jolt when the standing committee passed a resolution directing the civic chief to pull down the 8220;illegal structure8221;. When Jagadeesan was called by the standing committee he is said to have admitted that he had permitted the ragpickers to set up a scrap shop in Rasulabad.

He, however, chose to ignore the 8220;directive8221; so far. The committee, according to a councillor, asked Jagadeesan to demolish the structure for two apparent reasons. It is only the standing committee which can lease land, and not the municipal commissioner who has violated the BPMC Act. Secondly, the ragpickers association is affiliated to the Navsarjan Trust which is run by missionaries.

When contacted, a senior civic official said the structure is illegal. Its an encroachment. But the BJP wants to demolish the structure because it belongs to the Christians8221;.