Historical Hazratganj!!

Lucknow, Sept 3: Will the mouth-watering 'basket chat', a lukhnowi speciality, continue to provide culinary delight. Will the glittering showrooms and cosy restaurants in upmarket Hazratganj remain there? Will the 'Ganjing', the most famous leisure evening walk down the Hazratganj market, be the same again? These questions are hovering on the minds of prominent traders of this traditional place as much as the lakhs of citizens for whom the Hazratganj has become a symbol of regality and pride.

The situation has arisen due to Supreme Court's verdict on a 32-year-old case in favour of former Raja of Mehmoodabad who will now get back his huge properties spread over the state capital of Lucknow, adjacent districts of Sitapur, Barabanki, Lakhimpur Kheri and Nainital in Uttarakhand.

The court has given time till tomorrow to vacate all this property and hand it over to former Raja of Memoodabad.

An alumnus of Oxford and Cambridge universities, Raja Amir Mohammad Khan, the king of earstwhile Mehmoodabad estate situated about 60 kms from here, won the long drawn court battle after his father had migrated to Pakistan and his property was declared 'enemy property'.

The then Raja of Mehmoodabad left the country for Pakistan in 1957 but his wife and only son Amir Mohammad Khan stayed back as Indian citizens. In 1965, their property was seized by the government and was declared as 'enemy property'.

After the death of his father in 1973 , Amir Mohammad Khan launched the court battle to get back his ancestral property which he has won after 32 years. Besides various government offices, the prominent shops and showrooms of Hazratganj are housed in his property and as per the Court order, all these will have to be vacated. ''We are running business here since last four decades and sudenly, we are asked to vacate the premises,'' regretted one of the showroom owners in Hazratganj area.

Moreover, what would happen to the age-old culture and tradition of this place which has virtually become synonymous with Lucknow, wondered another businessman.

The District Administration says it will help in the eviction of the property in pursuance of the Court order. ''We have to execute court orders in this regard,''a District administration spokesman said.

Panicked traders of Hazratganj have even organised 'Mahayajna' to continue with the decades-old possession of these shops.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed till tomorrow the eviction of 200 tenants on the property of former Raja of Mahmoodabad in various places of Uttar Pradesh.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhan and Markandey Katju stayed the eviction after hearing counsel for the petitioner who contended that they were inducted as tenants in the property situated at Lucknow by the late Raja of Mahmoodabad and the petitioners, who were claiming to be his descendants, had no right to seek their eviction.

The custodian had given time to the petitioner to vacate the property by 1030 on friday last.

Earlier, the matter was mentioned before the court of Chief Justice who directed the petitioner to go to the bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhan, as he had heard and decided the matter.

Twenty-four senior IAS, IPS and other members of allied services were issued contempt of court notices for not vacating the properties in which the offices and residences of these officials were located. Later some of the officers, including eight District Magistrates, some senior IPS officers and about 12 SDMs were reported to have vacated the property.

The matter will be heard by the apex court tomorrow. The petitions filed by the tenant, also challenged their eviction on the grounds that they were not party to the earlier proceedings.

On the other hand, the traders community is united not to give way and vows to continue to fight for their survival. ''It is our bread and butter and not possible to leave the place like that,'' a restaurant owner said.

UNI