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`Supreme Court move would displace people'

Area MLA opposes order to hand over Mehmoodabad properties to its heir

Lucknow: Giving a new twist to the ongoing controversy over Supreme Court's decision to hand over the various properties of the Raja of Mehmoodabad to his heir, the area's MLA claimed that the move would displace thousands of people in the process.

Mehmoodabad MLA Narendra Kumar Verma, who was recently expelled from BJP and subsequently formed the U.P. Kranti Dal, told newspersons here that the SC decision ordering the Central government to de-list properties of Raja of Mehmoodabad as "enemy property" and hand it over to the estate's scion Mohd Amir Mohammed Khan would play havoc with the economy of the area. "In Mehmodabad, a sugar mill and a polytechnic have time till this evening to vacate the premises...the sugar mill employs 2,800 workers, while over 50,000 people rely on their cultivation of sugarcane which is supplied to the mill. Then there is the polytechnic which has been issued notices," he said. He claimed that, as a local MLA, he had written to the President of India and was all set to meet the Chief Minister in this regard. Mr Verma further claimed that thousands of people had been using the property since Independence and evicting them in eight weeks' time was not practical. A total of 956 acres of land in Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri districts would be returned to Mr Khan as per the SC directive.

After 32 years of litigation, the SC last month had directed the Centre to return the properties to Mohd Amir Mohammed Khan, the only son of Raja Mehmoodabad. The properties, worth several crores of rupees, were attached by the Union government as `enemy property' after the Raja migrated to Pakistan a few years after Independence.

Mr. Khan, however, stayed back and fought the prolonged battle to regain the property and the family's glory. -- UNI

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