Encroachment on Lawrence Road property of Amritsar MC: Rintu, Jaggi not on same page

Charanjit Singh Teja

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 10

The prime land of the Municipal Corporation on corner of Lawrance Road (Jamnuanwali Gali side) has become the talk of town as someone has constructed a wall alongside the property. The city Mayor, Karamjit Singh Rintu, and the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Malwinder Singh Jaggi, are contradicting each other on the demarcation of property.

Jaggi claimed that chances of encroachment had ended with the construction of wall as it was feared that the owner of the property behind the MC plot would encroach government land.

“It is positive development that someone, who may try to encroach our land, limits himself to his own plot. We can’t stop anyone from constructing wall on his property. We had erected a fence of tin sheets to protect our property. Now as the wall has been constructed there is no need of our fencing,” said Jaggi.

However, Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu claimed that the land mafia had encroached 100 sq yard land worth crores with connivance of Municipal Corporation (MC) officials.

“I asked officials concerned of the estate wing to stop the construction of wall, but they didn’t take action. We got complaints regarding this property in the past too, but no efforts have been made to protect it. The abandoned structure of electricity board has been deliberately removed to give way to encroachers,” said Rintu.

There is 100 sqyard prime land worth Rs5 crore, lying abandoned for the last several years. Once, the property was allotted to Punjab Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) for installing transformers.

Some MC officials claimed that on complainant of some residents the PSPCL shifted electricity poles to another plot of the MC on the same road a few years ago.

The abandoned powercom complaint office building was there till last year, they said. The land mafia had an eye on the land and the MC had got some complaints in this regard too, they added.

A tin fencing was erected by the civil wing of the MC on the plot, they said. A month ago, someone broke open tin fencing, but the MC didn’t take any action in this regard, they added. Later, a wall was constructed on the property, they said.

“We will get the revenue record tomorrow and conduct an inquiry. We may call a house meeting to take action against officials, who allowed encroachment on the plot with the connivance of the land mafia. I will not allow encroachment on an inch of the land owned by the MC,” said Rintu. “No one can encroach an inch of the MC land till I am here,” said Jaggi.

The bone of contention

The wall is not on our land. No one can encroach on the MC land. The neighbouring property owner has constructed wall on his own land. We can’t stop him from doing so. He ended the issue of land demarcation by constructing this wall. — Malwinder Singh Jaggi, Commissioner, MC

The wall has been constructed on the MC land. The civic body property has been encroached in connivance with MC officials. We will demarcate land after obtaining records and also conduct an inquiry. — Karamjit Singh Rintu, Mayor