Puri: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s Dera Sacha Sauda ashram here is reported to have encroached upon 12 decimal government land along Puri-Konark marine drive, official sources said Wednesday.
A five-member team of revenue department headed by tehsildar Prabir Khilar took measurements of the ashram land and found irregularities. Khilar submitted a report regarding the land encroachment to sub collector Madhu Sudan Das. It is learnt that Das briefed revenue divisional commissioner (central) AB Ota on the land grab.
The land measurement exercise was undertaken following an order of revenue minister Maheswar Mohanty in the wake of complaints of local people about the alleged encroachment of government land by the ashramites.
The tehsildar, meanwhile, served a show-cause notice on ashram caretaker Darshan Singh and instructed him to submit his reply by September 9.
Sources said Dera Sacha Sauda had bought four acres from a woman, Sunamani Dei, in 2004 and built the ashram over it.
Locals led by activists of Puri Sachetana Nagarika Mancha Friday staged a demonstration at the ashram and raised slogans against the violence perpetrated by the Dera supporters in Haryana following Gurmeet Singh’s conviction.
Locals and social activists, meanwhile, blamed the district administration and police for the illegal land acquisition by Dera sect. “The administration had no knowledge about the Dera ashram near marine drive road. Officials only rose from their slumber after some locals raised the land encroachment issue following Ram Rahim’s conviction,” said a social activist.
According to sources, the district administration has asked revenue officials to measure the landed properties of all ashrams in the pilgrim city here. “We will reclaim all government plots grabbed by the self-styled godman and his disciples,” said the sub-collector.
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