Report, list only after today’s MC meet: Mayor

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 24

The issue of illegal colonies raised by Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu seems to rock the MC House meeting on Monday with various councillors having raised the issue in a meeting held with the Mayor on Saturday.

Sources in the MC said a slew of posh buildings in Model Town, including restaurants, bars and other commercial buildings, which had been constructed in violation of the norms, might face demolition in the coming days.

However, until then, the pressure on the Mayor to make both list of 93 buildings public and to start razing of illegal structures in the city is building up. While Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has given the Mayor 15-days’ time to initiate proceedings against illegal buildings in the city and get the MC House in order, Congress councillor Aruna Arora on Saturday asked the Mayor to make public the list of 93 illegal buildings, which had been released by the minister.

Ward No. 22 councillor Prabhdayal Bhagat also raised the issue of lack of action against an illegal commercial building falling in his ward in Garha regarding which he had raised objections over two months ago with the Mayor. While he objected to the lack of action against the illegal building, he had also sparred verbally with a building inspector inside the office of the Mayor when the issue was first raised.

Meanwhile, councillor Aruna Arora also said she would take up the issue in the MC House meeting if the list was not released by the Mayor by Monday.

Arora is the councillor of Ward No. 27, which itself has a grey area with a booming property and an illegal building stretch, with many of the proposed illegal structures in her ward. She said: “After the initial action following the minister’s visit to the city, there have been no demolitions. It’s now the Mayor’s prerogative to do something about it. We know there is a list of 350 illegal buildings. The minister’s imminent drive was aimed at 93 buildings. At least the list of the 93 illegal buildings should be provided so that the erring builders are out in the open. Whether the issue is an agenda or not, we will also raise it in the House if the councillor fails to provide us the list by Monday.”

When asked whether she had a list of illegal buildings in her own ward, the councillor said: “So far I have not received any such complaint within my ward.”

The Mayor, however said, the future demolitions would not start till a signal was received from Sidhu.

“I can’t stop anyone from raising the issue but the list on illegal buildings as well as my report will only be released after I have made the requisite visits myself. This will only happen after the meeting on Monday. It’s unlikely we will release the list tomorrow. As far as the demolitions are concerned, these will also take place after the report is shared with the minister and based on his further go-ahead.”

Primary agenda included in the meeting will be a proposal for the recruitment of about 200 safai sewaks in the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation Jalandhar, the confirmation of land for a slaughterhouse at Gadaipur village, construction of footbridges across the city among a host of previously proposed development projects.

One of the most controversial agendas included for the meeting is the purchase of an 8 to 10 acre land at Wariana for the setting up of a factory to recycle the city’s garbage, objections to which had been raised by opposition councillor Lakhbir Singh Bajwa. Bajwa had demanded the project be stationed at Jamsher, where a land has already been bought for the purpose. He had skipped the previous MC meet over the issue.