HYDERABAD: The district administration on Monday offered to the Strong Base School, a decades-old institution, postponement of a demolition operation to retrieve 1,140-sqyard municipal land and a portion of street annexed by it.

However, certain conditions have been attached to the offer.

The Anti-Encroachment Tribunal had on Nov 21 ruled that the illegally raised structures were encroachments and should be removed / demolished. The school management had failed to produce any document that could prove that the disputed spaces under its occupation were sub-let to it by theDistrict Red Crescent Society (DRCS), Hyderabad.

The management held negotiations with Deputy Commissioner Zain U1 Abiden Memon during the latter`s visit to the premises on Monday for measuring the lands to be retrieved in an anti-encroachment operation.

The DC decided to allow time to the management provided it agreed to shift the school till the end of the current academic year, i.e. May 31, 2025.

This sufficient time is, however, subject to the signing of an undertaking drafted by the DC.

Speaking to the media, the DC said that the school management would also have to undertake that it would not challenge the Anti-EncroachmentTribunal`s decision at any other forum as the district administration itself was providing it a relief i.e., postponement of antiencroachment operation.

In case of non-compliance / failure to abide by the terms and conditions of the undertaking, the AC City would get the antiencroachment operation carried out to retrieve the entire government land admeasuring 1,140 square yards currently under illegal occupation of the Strong Base School as already determined by the Anti-Encroachment Tribunal, the DC said.

The school building, groundplus-one, is situated between DC House and Radio Pakistan`s Hyderabad station. Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) is the custodian of the land andhad leased it out to the DRCS decades back. The society had handed over the premises to the private school`s management as its tenant.

Probe into entry in record According to DC, he has ordered an inquiry into the `authenticity of the entry (along with its overwriting) regarding the total area of school premises and the lease agreement made between HMC and DRCS office.

`This inquiry will be conducted by the AC City,` he said.

The DC said that through this overwriting, the 970-sq-yds area of school`s premises seemed to have been changed to 1,140-sqyds under the then DC`s order.

But the order is not available at hand. The AC should submit itsfindings on legitimacy of the Strong Base School`s status as `sub-tenant`. He said the school management was asked to produce record of sub-letting of the premises, if any, by the CRDS.

`I myself, being chairman of this society by virtue of my office, can say that such record has not been made available yet,` he said.

Cancellation of lease The DC said that HMC`s directorlandwasbeingdirected to subsequently initiate proceedings for the cancellation of the original lease agreement as per the relevant law and policy.

He said that sub-letting of premises to the school management was clearly a violation of the original lease agreement.