‘Mafia’ out to usurp prime LIT land

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 21

Eyebrows are being raised over a proposal approved by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) in its meeting held here last week for the allotment of two alternative plots in lieu of plot numbers 997-D and 998-D in Model Town Extension scheme to members of the Atam Nagar Cooperative House Building Society Ltd because the applicants had not been given possession of the plots measuring 250 square yards each.

It is being alleged that the proposal for the allotment of alternative plots in some other scheme of the Trust in lieu of the plots originally allotted by the said Society to the applicants was nothing short of an open loot of prime government land being perpetrated by a nexus of certain employees and officials of the sale branch of LIT and a group of property dealers.

That the Society or its members were not entitled for any further allotment of land (residential plot) has been clearly explained by LIT itself in its office letter number 5641 dated November 14, 2017, to the Local Government Department, which says that the Trust had already allotted 794 square yard of excess land to the Atam Nagar Society and no further claim in this regard could be entertained.

Sources in LIT revealed that the land mafia, comprising certain officials of the sale branch and property dealers, had adopted a novel mode to get residential plots allotted in LIT schemes to ‘questionable’ claimants and the premium (the difference between original allotment price and market rate) is shared by the allottee, LIT employees and property dealers in agreed proportions.

Sources said property dealers find a bogus claimant, make a submission on his behalf to LIT for the allotment of an alternative plot, which is forwarded to the Local Government Department for its approval.