Officials eye disputed assets to relocate Sayyad Ahmad Shaan dargah

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The district administration has started eyeing assets that are in dispute to relocate the 150-year-old Sayyad Ahmad Shaan dargah which has affected the widening of the Karamana- Kaliyikkavila highway at Pappanamcode.  

The Deccan Chronicle had earlier reported on the legal tussle between the district administration and Chavara trust as the former was attempting to relocate the Masjid to a land held by the trust.

“Now, we have also identified a few other properties on the roadside which are in dispute. We offered owners handsome compensations for handing it over to us so that the dargah could be relocated there. Meanwhile we will continue to challenge Chavara trust,” said District Collector Biju Prabhakar.

During his stint at the Survey department, Biju Prabhakar himself had given a report that there was no title for the trust’s land located opposite SCT engineering college.

“Apparently, due to court intervention they later got the titles made. The high court has now appointed a commission which has submitted a report saying that the district administration should not take away the land as a hospital (cancer centre) was expected to be opened here. We think this report is biased and will challenge it in court,” Mr Prabhakar added.

The district administration had earlier offered a seven cent plot of land to Karamana Jamaat which runs the shrine. However, the Jamaat did not accept the offer as it was not located on a main road.

The dargah holds the tomb of Sufi Saint Badusha Olivulla of Saudi Arabia who breathed his last here.