National Herald land 'encroachment' in Patna

Patna: A vast chunk of land leased to National Herald here has allegedly been encroached and the Bihar revenue department will now look into the matter.

About 22 'kathas' of land allotted to the newspaper in the heart of the state capital is encroached and could never come in possession of the allottee, it is alleged.

Bihar Revenue Minister and Congress leader Madan Mohan Jha today told PTI that the department would look into the matter and take needful legal steps.

The incident comes to light in the backdrop of the National Herald case, in which the Supreme Court has summoned Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

Jha said the existing lease of the land originally allotted to National Herald is up to 2018.

A foundation stone at the said land revealed that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had laid the stone on the land sometime around 1987.

Name of former chief minister Jagannath Mishra is also written on the stone.

Congress chief state spokesman HK Verma told PTI that party Treasurer Motilal Vohra, who is also a trustee of Young India company along with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, had unsuccessfully raised the encroachment issue on the land to former Bihar Governor Buta Singh and many others.

During a recent meeting with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Vohra had talked to him about this, Verma said.

The "encroached" land is in Adalatganj locality in the heart of Patna.

Verma said partymen would like the administration to remove encroachment from the land allotted to National Herald and have planned to hold an agitation in Patna tomorrow over NDA government's "efforts to harass" the Congress president and the vice president in the case.