17 encroachments on Chimnaraja Haweli land demolished

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Anti Encroachment Squad of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) removed 17 encroachments that came up on the land of Chimanraja Haweli near historic Jama Masjid on Thursday. Police surrounded the area at 7 am and all the roads near e Haweli were closed till the task was completed. Most of the encroachments were demolished.

Chimnaraja Haweli was spread on 10 to 12 acres of land. Houses were built on some of the part of the Haweli.

Abdul Samir Abdul Sattar had done a sale deed of the remaining land in 2012. Ajanta Construction Company, on behalf of Abdul Samir, sought permission from the Municipal Corporation in 2015 for the construction of the compound wall. A dispute surfaced between two groups over taking possession of the land in 2016.

The then Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar restricted the entry of both groups in Haweli premises. There is a reserved piece of land for Corporation in the Haweli premises. It is searching for a piece of land of a playground. A 20-foot wide road was shown beside Haweli land.

Meanwhile, the Antri Encroachment Squad along with the police force reached the place at 7 am and removed all big and small encroachments by 1 pm. There was no opposition to demolition drive in the beginning.

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Scrap vendor shows ownership

A scrap vendor claimed that he owned 5,000 square feet plot on the land of Haweli. He showed the PR Card to the additional commissioner of the CSMC Saurabh Joshi.

So, there was tension for some time. The scrap vendor was hospitalised as his BP shot up. On this, the civic body stopped the action. Deputy Commissioner Savita Sonawne, building inspector Syed Jamshed and others participated in the action.

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Citizens move court

Those citizens who claimed ownership on some part of the Haweli land approached the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court which directed them to file a petition in the Civil Court. According to sources, the CSMC was directed not to take any action for the next 45 days.

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Who was Chimnaraja?

Raja Shyamraj Bahadur was appointed ‘Daftar-e-Diwan during the tenure of Nawab Sikandar of Nizam Rule in 1800. Raja Shyamraj Bahadur owned more than 50 per cent land of the city at that time. A Haweli for his son Chimnaraja was built near Jama Masjid. Raja Bahadur died in 1834. Chimnaraja took care of the administration for many years after his father’s death. Haweli started wearing a deserted look after a period of time.