AGRA: On the directions of the Allahabad high court , the Mathura administration has issued a notice to Baba Jai Gurudev ashram , which is allegedly in illegal possession of land belonging to UP State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC).Confirming the move, district magistrate, Arvind Mallappa said that they have given one week time to the Ashram to respond and if they don't then they will be considered as "encroachers" and further action will be taken accordingly.The notice states that in case the possession of land is found illegal, the occupant would be evicted with the help of police force and expenses for the same will be recovered from the ashram.When contacted, Senior Superintendent of Police, Swapnil Mangain, said we have made all arrangements and waiting for administrative orders.A division bench comprising justices Arun Tandon and Sangeeta Chandra also asked the state government to ensure adequate deployment of forces so that "Dera Sacha Sauda-like incidents do not take place in UP" while evicting such encroachers.As per Public Interest Litigation filed by Mathura resident Rajendra Singh, the society has constructed a boundary wall over the entire land of 139.62 acres (56.536 hectares) out of which 41.138 hectares is stated to have been unauthorizedly occupied by the society. It has been informed by the Executive Engineer of UPSIDC that the followers of Baba Jai Gurudev are not permitting the officers of the UPSIDC to enter the premises by use of force.Incidentally, Mathura had last year witnessed large-scale violence, resulting in the death of 29 people including two police officials, during eviction of squatters from a public park called Jawahar Bagh.The court fixed September 18 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

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