TAMIL NADU-Hunting Naxalites

August 23, 1980 points out, there have been instances where port authorities have allowed lessees with monthly leases to build pucca structures on the land which would have a life of 50 years and more thus tacitly accepting that it was indeed a long lease or permanent lease. The BPT estate office points out that it is not the tenure or the, terms of a lease which defeat the port's attempts to reacquire vacant land for its own use. The problem is the difficulty in evicting "even the smallest tenure like casual occupations". Iron merchants in Masjid Bunder who had small storage yards there have subsequently been moved to the outer suburbs, But the lands have not been recovered by BPT. Instead the storage yards now have shops and commercial buildings on them. The difficulty in getting evictions is mainly legal, according to the estate office. So the situation is that BPT turns a blind eye while lessees convert their leases into permanent ones. At the same time BPT complains that it does not have the legal instruments to pursue cases in court successfully and, has been pressing for the amendment of the Public Premises Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants Act 1971. In order to prevent misuse of leases the ministry of shipping and transport had directed that only short- term two or three year leases be entered into in future. But the BPT finds that such a proposal would be futile unless there is a master plan laying out areas for future port trust use. But this master plan does not exist.