Author: Jyoti Kamal
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: June 19, 2003
Among the affected, Khushwant Singh
says he's going to kick up a row
There's trouble brewing in sleepy
Kasauli.Residents of some 90 'old grant bungalows' in this quaint hill
station, 55 km from Chandigarh, are up in arms over the Army's plan to
acquire their properties and tide over an accommodation problem for its
officers and soldiers.
The private bungalows of the rich
and famous stand on an average of 3.5 to 5 acres of Defence land each in
the cantonment area. Owners say any such move will destroy the character
of the hill station. "I will kick up one hell of a row if the Army tries
to touch my property," says well-known writer Khushwant Singh, whose property
Raj Villa on the Upper Mall is one of the old grant bungalows.
"I finished refurbishing the house
barely two days ago and have spent Rs 1 lakh. This talk to resume the property
is rubbish," says Khushwant Singh. Rubbish or not, residents of the Upper
and Lower Malls - a walk through the malls will explain Kasauli's colonial
past - are clearly worried. On Tuesday, residents met to form a united
front against the Army's move.
History has it that Governor General
William Pitt Amherst (1823-28) decided to develop Shimla Hills as a summer
getaway for the British. Colonel Tapp, political agent at nearby Sabathu
who was sent to survey the Kasauli area, was so captivated by its mountain
charm and convenient location that the British decided to develop it as
a cantonment. Baljit Malik, who's lived at Red Coombe on the Upper Mall
since 1953, says, "We accept that the land belongs to the Defence establishment
and they have every right to acquire it. But all that we have been hearing
are rumours. We have had no official notification or communication yet.
Some of the residents have had Defence Estates personnel arriving with
tapes to measure land and property."
Malik fears once civilians in the
malls are asked to leave, the cantonment will become a complete military
station and civilians will no longer be able to move freely around the
hill station.
Khushwant Singh says when he spoke
to the Western Army General Officer Commanding-in-Chief - Kasauli cantonment
comes under his jurisdiction - the latter assured him there were no moves
to acquire the property.
But Army sources confirm they will
be acquiring the land. "The land in Kasauli on which these bungalows stand
is ours and we have every right to take it back. Of course, we will compensate
residents according to laid down procedures," say sources, maintaining
that fears of Kasauli losing its character are totally misplaced.
Western Command's official spokesperson
DS Rawat says the Army's exploring land expansion options across the country
and Kasauli's no exception.
