CWP No. 13505 of 2009 [1] IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CWP No. 13505 of 2009 Date of Decision: 06.10.2009 Pipal Singh ..Petitioner versus State of Punjab and others ..Respondents CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE T.S.THAKUR,CHIEF JUSTICE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE KANWALJIT SINGH AHLUWALIA 1.Whether Reporters of local papers may be allowed to see the judgment ? 2. Whether to be referred to the Reporters or not ? 3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the Digest? Present : Mr. PPS Duggal, Advocate, for the petitioner. Mr. Rupinder Khosla, Addl. A.G. Punjab for the respondents. ***** T.S.Thakur, C.J. (Oral) This petition purports to have been filed in public interest. It prays for a mandamus directing the respondents to get the illegal and unauthorised possession of respondent No.4 over a school building vacated. It also prays for a direction to the respondents to have the encroachments on the cremation ground and a common path way in the village leading to the village pond removed in accordance with law. When this petition came up for admission before us on 01.09.2009, we issued notice to the respondents and directed them to CWP No. 13505 of 2009 [2] file an affidavit, inter-alia, answering the following three questions:- i) Whether any Primary School Building was constructed in village Aladutha falling with the Gram Panchayat of village Kala Tibba? ii)If the building was constructed, why was the school not started in the same and within how much time can the school will made functional? iii)Whether the building in question has been occupied by respondent No.4 or any one else with or without the permission of the authorities concerned? If the same has been occupied do the authorities propose to have the occupation vacated ? The respondents have pursuant to the said directions filed an affidavit sworn by Kamal Kishore Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur, in which the questions mentioned above have been answered by them. In reply to question No. (i) it is stated by the Deputy Commissioner that a primary school building was indeed constructed in village Alladutha falling within the Gram Panchayat of village Kala Tibba. In answer to question No. (ii), it is stated that no school was started in the said building due to non-availability of students in the village. The affidavit further states that as per information given by the Block Primary Education Officer, Ferozepur, a primary school was functioning in village Alladutha from 20.8.1977 to 2.12.1987 but without any school building. In December, 1987, the said school was shut down because of non-availability of children. In so far as making the school functional is concerned, the affidavit states that a survey CWP No. 13505 of 2009 [3] was conducted in the village which shows that there are only 9 school going children, out of whom 4 are studying in a private school, 3 children are going to Government Primary School, Niazian while one of the children is studying in the Government Middle School at Niazian. According to the affidavit, there have to be at least 15 students available in the village for starting a school. The affidavit goes on to state that as and when the requisite number of students are available in the village, the school shall be made functional. In the meantime, the occupation Bohar Singh over the school building has been got vacated by the authorities. The answer to question No. (iii) formulated by us suggests that the building has been locked and keys of the school building handed over to the Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Kala Tibba. It is evident from the above that the first part of the grievance made by the petitioner regarding the illegal occupation over the school building stands duly redressed by eviction of Bohar Singh from the said building. The building is now in the occupation of the Gram Panchayat Kala Tibba which makes any further direction from this Court unnecessary. Even so we fail to understand as to why a building was constructed for running a school, when the required number of students were not available in the village. The fact that the school that earlier existed was also shut down in December, 1987 only goes to show that the quality of education provided in the government school is very poor which forces the students to go to other private institutions in the neighbourhood. Be that as it may, the authorities will have to examine whether a school can be started and quality education provided in the same for the benefit of the people living in the area. CWP No. 13505 of 2009 [4] Beyond that we do not propose to say anything at this stage. Learned counsel for the petitioner argued that apart from the illegal occupation of the school building, the petitioner has also raised an issue regarding illegal occupation over a part of cremation ground and encroachment over a common pathway in the village. He drew our attention towards two representations made by him in this regard, one of which is addressed to the Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur and the other to the Director Panchayat, Chandigarh. It is not clear from the averments in the writ petition whether the said representations have been examined and disposed of by the authorities concerned. If the same have not been disposed of, we see no reason why they cannot be dealt with expeditiously. We, accordingly, dispose of this writ petition with a direction that representations marked as Annexures P-3 and P-4 to the petition shall be looked into by the authorities concerned and appropriate orders passed on the same expeditiously but not later than three months from the date a copy of this order is received by them. The petitioner shall then have the liberty to seek such redress against the said order as may be permissible in law. No costs. (T.S.THAKUR) CHIEF JUSTICE (KANWALJIT SINGH AHLUWALIA) JUDGE 06.10.2009 'ravinder'