House 'encroaching' portion of stepwell in Sambhal partly demolished by owner following notice

Sambhal (UP): A house, which allegedly encroached a portion of a nearly 150-year-old stepwell found recently in Chandausi area of Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district, was partly demolished by its owner last night following a notice by municipal authorities, an official said on Saturday.

Executive Officer of Chandausi Nagar Palika Parishad, Krishna Kumar Sonkar, said since the excavation has been going on, it came to light that the house was encroaching the stepwell on its side. A notice was given to a woman named Gulnaz (wife of Yusuf Saifi), resident of Laxman Ganj, and they are demolishing it themselves.

"They were given a notice and they are demolishing it on their own. If we had demolished it with JCB, there would have been more damage. Yesterday, the district magistrate explained to them that only a part has to be removed, the rest will be left," he said.

Gulnaz said she is sad her house is going away.

"I was given a notice to vacate the house within 24 hours. I had talked to the DM. He asked us to register a case against those who sold us the land." District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya, who had come to inspect the ancient stepwell last night, told reporters that some cracks were found inside the well and it was filled with debris.

There was excessive weight and keeping in view the possibility of rain in future, a shed will be constructed over it, he said.

By marking the entire land, the encroachment which is coming under its purview is also being removed, he said, adding there is a conservation area above the reservoir and the stepwell and no construction of any kind can be done at such places.

The stepwell, approximately 150 years old and covering an area of 400 sq m, was unearthed during excavation in the Laxman Ganj area of Chandausi in Sambhal district.

Excavation at the site began on December 21, Sonkar said.

District Magistrate Pensiya had earlier said the site was previously registered as a pond. The well's upper floor is made of bricks, while the second and third floors are of marble. The structure also features four rooms and a well.