RDA orders demolition of 38 illegal buildings on Jauhar university campus
Lucknow, July 15: The Rampur Development Authority (RDA) has taken major action against buildings constructed without approved map on the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University campus, issuing demolition orders. This action was taken under Section 27(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Town Planning and Development Act, 1973. After detailed hearing and examination of documents, the order deemed 38 buildings on the university campus as illegal and ordered demolition.
Rampur District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi said on Wednesday that continuous action is being taken against illegal construction in the district. Under this, an investigation into the construction of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University was initiated based on the report of the Regional Sub-Engineer. Subsequently, a notice was issued to the university management, directing them to present their side of the story. The university administration filed its response on July 8th, while a personal hearing was held on July 15th, attended by officials and advocates from both the university and the development authority.
During the hearing, the university argued that the village of Singankheda, where the university is located, was not included in the Rampur Development Authority’s development area before September 27-24, and therefore, there was no need to obtain map approval from the Development Authority. The university also stated that the constructions were carried out long ago and cannot be considered illegal based on current regulations.
The Rampur Development Authority rejected these arguments. The order stated that even though Singankheda village was later included in the development area, map approval from the relevant competent authority was mandatory at the time of construction. During the investigation, records obtained from the District Panchayat Rampur clearly revealed that only the maps for the medical college building and the academic block of the university campus were approved. No valid approvals were available for the remaining 38 buildings.
According to DM Ajay Kumar Dwivedi, the Rampur Development Authority also noted in the order that the university management was aware of this fact. Approval is required for construction, as it had obtained permission from the district panchayat for two buildings. Despite this, other buildings were constructed without approval. The authority considered this a violation of rules and stated that action could be taken against such constructions under Section 59 of the Uttar Pradesh Town Planning and Development Act, even if the area was later included within the development authority’s jurisdiction.
The demolition order examined in detail the various legal arguments presented by the university, including the Master Plan, Zonal Plan, and various sections of the Act. The authority stated in its order that these provisions had been misinterpreted, rendering the construction inadmissible. The order clarified that the validity of any construction is based on the approval obtained from the competent authority in accordance with the applicable law at the time.
