The civic corporation had acquired the land from the university in 1982 for expanding the road from its present 90 ft to proposed 120 ft width. Yet no development has taken place in spite of a government resolution (GR).

According to the GR if such acquired land cannot be utilised for the purpose for which it was acquired within a period of three years, then the land should be returned to the original owner. Also, the land cannot be used for any other purposes than it was acquired for.

The encroachments have erupted despite repeated complaints by senior university officials. The BMC on the other hand pleaded helplessness in the matter including removal of the biggest structures comprising makeshift garages on land admeasuring nearly 2000 sq ftfrom the `set-back' land acquired from the varsity for widening the CST Road. (Set-back land is land earmarked for developmental use.)

The ward officer (H-East) S H Ghadge-Patil told Express Newsline on Saturday: ``On receiving several complaints about the illegal encroachments on CST Road, opposite Allahabad Bank, our demolition squad had gone to the spot on April 8. However, we had hardly demolished a portion of the structure when their lawyer furnished an ad-interim order from the slum tribunal clearly stating that we cannot demolish it till the final hearing and disposal of the case.'' He added that this was just one such case in point.

While the hands of the ward officials are tied by the court orders, landsharks have erected a thick cardboard wall encroaching prime land hugging the campus. Already, an estimated 154 illegal structures have come up on the university land along the neighbouring Hans Bhugra Road (also called Link Road). These structures comprising hutments and garages havemushroomed in the last four years.

A local resident pointed out that the structures have been sold between Rs 5000 and Rs 10,000. The shops in the prime location fetch around Rs 8 lakh, the resident added.

``No matter how hard the BMC tries to demolish illegal encroachments on the busy CST Road for the purpose of road widening, the private parties always find either administrative or legal loopholes to safeguard their unauthorised structures,'' a resident of the area pointed out.

The varsity has recently written several letters to Deputy Municipal Commissioner (DMC - Zone III) V W Joshi in this regard. ``The encroachers were found construction work undertaken thought they were allowed only minor repair works. Hence our demolition squad had visited the spot again on Saturday to stop the pucca construction,'' said the ward officer in charge of removal of encroachments, S S Shinde.

Meanwhile, the university Registrar Dr P V Pradhan, in a recent letter to Joshi, has suggested that beautification could beundertaken on the said land and agreed to return it to BMC as and when required for road widening in future.