Civic body to get tough with encroachers

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 28

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has now decided to act tough on encroachers. In a decision taken by MC Commissioner Bhawna Garg, the material which will be seized or impounded during anti-encroachment drives of the MC, will be released only after 15 days.

As per the present practice, the MC enforcement wing used to release the seized material the very next day after taking fine from the encroacher.

But recently, the Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs), of all three divisions (Central, East and South), who were assigned the ex officio charge of the Additional Commissioner, MC, had complained to senior officials that they were regularly conducting anti-encroachment drives and taking action against encroachers. But the very next day these encroachers got their seized material released after paying the penalty amount to the MC. The SDMs had told officials that the present system was defeating the very purpose of carrying out the anti-encroachment drives.

Thereafter, a proposal to keep seized material till 15 days in the MC store was prepared by MC Joint Commissioner Virender Chaudhary, which was finally approved by the MC Commissioner.

Earlier also, to improve the functioning of the MC enforcement wing, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation had transferred the enforcement wing staff thrice recently.

At present, the MC has one Superintendent, two Inspectors, 20 Sub-Inspectors and a store in charge. It also had 79 workers or labourers to assist the Sub-Inspectors in removing the encroachments.

Though the MC conducted 50 drives against encroachments and collected nearly Rs 1.2 crore as fine in 2014, it has failed to check the problem.