Two residents here are in a fix over a transaction centred around a 5 decimal plot in Argora, a part of which, unknown to both seller and buyer, had been earmarked for a road in the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) city master plan.

Resident of New AG Colony Reena Sinha, who bought the plot from one Rajdular Nandan Sahay of Argora in February 2018, alleged she was caught in a bizarre situation as the RMC had not physically demarcated land meant for the road. Sahay, who had sold Sinha the land, also said he was in the dark.

What both, and many citizens like them, were not aware of was that the land in question has not yet been acquired by urban development but a plan by RMC for the road is ready.

“I bought the plot in good faith (from Sahay) last February and submitted my building plan for the house before the RMC for its approval last May. Nothing happened then. I came to know such a road proposal existed only when my plan was rejected in December 2018 on the grounds that a part of the plot was meant for the road,” Sinha, whose husband is a lawyer in Jharkhand High Court, told this paper.

An angry Sinha added, “Had I known about the road, I would not have spent money on the land or a building plan or its submission with a fee.”

Land seller Sahay said he sympathised with Sinha. “My intention was not to cheat her,” he said. “I also had no idea of the proposed road passing through my land as the civic authority had not demarcated it to let land owners know how much of space will go in road construction,” Sahay said.

Ranchi district land acquisition officer Seema Singh explained the confusion. “Urban development department had proposed land acquisition in Argora for a road two years ago. But as it did not sanction money to compensate land owners, land was not acquired. Hence, no notification,” she said. However, RMC had prepared the master plan, she added.

An official at the Argora circle office agreed. “As land was not acquired, no information was sent to the city registrar office and sale and purchase of land continued unabated. Only now, problems are cropping up as building plans that encroach on the proposed road are rejected,” he said.

RMC town planner Uday Sahay said the civic body was not at fault. “The city master plan is in public domain. It is the duty of the land owner and his/her civil engineer to see the master plan at the time of preparing the building plan. If I had approved the plan now (mistakenly), the lady concerned (Reena Sinha) would have had a problem later. Her house would have come under the demolition axe during road construction.”

He admitted no physical demarcation of land had been done. “But, it is expected from people to see the master plan with the help of a good civil engineer before filing one’s building plan for RMC’s approval,” he said.

RMC’s Sahay advised people to log on to mp.ranchimunicipal.com and take the help of their civil engineer to understand the dimensions of the proposed road.