LAYYAH, Oct 29: A dispute over the ownership of a piece of land on which a school building has been constructed allegedly without the consent of its owner has disrupted the education of more than 150 girl students in Karo Lal Essan tehsil.

Reports said the girls’ middle school was upgraded and declared a high school in 2004.

A local landlord, Abid Ali khan, reportedly, donated a four-kanal land for the construction of a building to accommodate 9th and 10th class students. The education department constructed the building at a cost of Rs6 million for the purpose, and it was opened for students in 2006 after the provision of necessary facilities, including furniture.

However, after commencement of classes there, Abid claimed he had never donated the land, which by then had assumed a price tag of about Rs0.8 million, for the school and that the education department was illegally occupying it.

Abid moved the court of the local deputy district officer revenue (DDOR) with the claim. The DDOR gave a verdict that Abid was the rightful owner of the land as education authorities failed to produce any deed to prove the land had been donated.

After the court order, Abid got the classrooms’ furniture and other paraphernalia thrown out of the building and locked the school’s gate, forcing the students to sit on the ground in the open sky.

District Officer (secondary education) Ms Tahira maintained that the influential landlord had forcibly took over the possession of state property as the appeal against DDOR’s decision was lying pending in the sessions court.

“We brought the matter to the notice of the DCO and the DPO,” she said.