Delimitation: 12 villages oppose inclusion in MC

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 23

Representatives of as many as 12 villages of Jalandhar, which have been included in the MC limits after delimitation, on Saturday sought the dismissal of their inclusion within the MC jurisdiction from the Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Alleging that key leaders, including Congress MLA Pargat Singh, Congress MP Chaudhary Sanotkh Singh and BJP leader Vijay Sampla, had stayed unresponsive to their demands, the leaders said they shall approach court if their demand was not met.

Including village residents, sarpanches and block samiti members, the villagers alleged that the government was robbing them of the grants already received for the development of the villages and other rights, including voting, which they enjoyed before delimitation. They also said it would also mean they would have to pay hefty fines and taxes which all buildings under the Municipal Corporation were levied.

11 panchayat haveSC sarpanches

The villages include Sofi Pind, Subhana, Alipur, Pholriwal, Aladinpur, Hallotaali, Sansarpur, Dheena, Nangal Karar Khan, Khambran, Rehmanpur and Khusropur.

Alleging that the area MLA Pargat Singh, who had repeatedly assured them that the delimitation move shall be opposed by him, had misled them on the issue and hadn’t initiated any action to stop their inclusion in the MC even after the delimitation was formalised. Villagers also alleged that it was a huge setback to the 90 per cent Dalit population of the villages which was poor and did not afford being brought under the MC guidelines.

The villagers also submitted a memorandum to Principal Secretary Local Bodies on the issue and also met Congress MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh two days ago.

They, however, argue that the resolutions to be included under the MC were passed in 2012 by old panchayats, but the new panchayats were never consulted by the government. Malkit Singh, sarpanch of Subhana village, alleged, “Basically, they want to buy villages lands at hefty prices. All new panchayats have passed fresh resolutions regarding which the MP had also been detailed. Pargat Singh was with us when he was an Akali MLA. Now with the Congress, he is not raising this issue. We are forcibly being included in the MC.”

Tirlok Sampla, A resident of Sofi Pind and a relative of BJP leader Vijay Sampla, said, “The move shall put in jeopardy the Rs 42-lakh grant received from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through Union Minister Vijay Sampla for the construction of the Sofi Pind-Rehmanpur road (formerly the Sofi Pind Phirni road) which shall go waste.”