Bhopal. The dispute over the land of the royal cemetery has once again come to the fore regarding the underground route of Phase-2 of Metro’s Orange Line in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.
Late on Monday night, the metro team reached the royal graveyard located near Bhopal Talkies for barricading and preparations for the work.
On receiving information about this, Congress MLA Atif Akil reached the spot along with his supporters and people of the society and protested against the work.
The MLA had a heated argument with metro and police officials on the spot. He told the officers in a stern tone, “Come out, otherwise I will start misbehaving.”
The MLA said that no work should be done on the royal graveyard land without statutory permission. He asked the Metro team to remove machinery and construction material.
Demand for permission from Shahi Auqaf first
Congress MLA Akil said that permission should be taken from the concerned authority before starting the metro work on the royal graveyard land.
He questioned the officials present on the spot as to under what permission the machines and construction materials were brought to the cemetery property.
He said that first permission should be taken from the Royal Auqaf, only after that any work should be done. The MLA said that there are graves of his ancestors in the cemetery and he had earlier also opposed the proposal of underground route of metro from here.
He demanded that no construction work should be carried out without statutory permission.
Hearing also going on in Waqf Tribunal
Hearing is also going on in Madhya Pradesh State Waqf Tribunal regarding the route related to the royal cemetery. The parties concerned are putting forward their respective objections and arguments in the matter.
In such a situation, the matter of dispute regarding the cemetery land and the proposed underground route is also in the legal process.
3.39 km portion underground
It is noteworthy that about 9.74 km corridor from Subhashnagar to Karond is proposed in Orange Line Phase-2 of Bhopal Metro. In this, about 5.38 kilometers will be elevated and 3.39 kilometers will be underground.
In the elevated portion, six stations are proposed at Pul Bogda, Aishbagh, Sindhi Colony, DIG Bungalow, Krishi Upaj Mandi and Karond Square. It is estimated that around Rs 650 crore will be spent on this part.
The underground portion includes Bhopal Railway Station and Nadra Bus Stand Station. It is estimated that around Rs 890 crore will be spent on the construction of this part.
Objections have been lodged by the MLA and other parties regarding this underground route passing under the royal graveyard.