CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday dismissed the PIL challenging acquiring of portions of the playground of the Shailabala Women's Autonomous College for the proposed Rs 70 crore Cuttack Chandi Temple beautification project.
Old Students Association (Alumni) of the College filed the petition, expressing apprehension that the portion of playground of the college is being utilised for the Chandi Mandir beautification project would adversely affect the students by depriving them of the facility of a playground.
While dismissing it, the division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattanaik said, "No part of the land of the college is being used as such for a religious purpose. It is only being used for expansion of a public road. Further it is claimed that the existing facilities of a playground of the college is being increased and not diminished. Consequently, the court finds the apprehension expressed by the petitioner to be unfounded."
The bench said Cuttack Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani had stated on affidavit that the playground of the college is part of a government land, total area of which is 3.450 acre.Out of the total plot, 0.55 decimal will be used "for shifting of the public road so as to create space for parking for the devotees visiting the temple".
To compensate for the loss of 0.55 acre of the land it has been decided that the existing playground will be merged with an adjoining plot of 1.87 acre.Apart from the existing playground increasing to 4,800 sq metres, an additional space for playground is being proposed at a distance of 2-3 km from the college, the bench said in its order.