Construction relaxation sought near Vallah ammunition depot

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 14

Fruit and vegetable wholesalers have demanded reduction in the no-construction zone ambit from 1,000 yards of the ammunition depot at Vallah to 350 yards.

Various associations of traders, including, the Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Union and Fruit and Vegetable Traders Association had informed the Central government on the issue.

Union president Ravinder Singh Sekhon said, the Directorate General Defence Estate had been positively mulling over the demand to amend the relevant clause. He called upon the political leaders of the state to put up the case of the whole sale fruit and vegetable market.

The fruit and vegetable market at the Vallah area, spread on about 109 acres, falls within a periphery of the ammunition depot. As per the norms of the defense no construction could be carried out within the area.

Union general secretary Surinder Bindra said, their requests to repair and lay new roads in the market fallen on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, the Mandi Board is looking for a new 100 acres site to re-locate the market. The traders said this proposition of the government would not bear fruits as the cash strapped state government had no money to pay to the land owners as compensation.

It may be mentioned that the issue of ammunition dumps location dates back to 2002, when the civic administration decided to increase the periphery of the city.

The Army till then had acquired 122 acres on the bypass, which had few settlements in Vallah village. The Army approached the Union Government and a notification banning any construction within a 1,000 yards parapet was issued on November 11, 2004.

The ammunition depot came into existence in 2004 and during the same time the wholesale fruit and vegetable market was also shifted out of the congested part of the city to Vallah.