Encroachments galore outside District Court Complex in city

Sameer Singh
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, January 31

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With barely any check by the authorities concerned, encroachments can be seen outside the District Court Complex here. The encroachments on the footpath along the outer wall of the court complex cause a lot of inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians.

A visit by Bathinda Tribune found that a number of fruit sellers, juice vendors, garment sellers and snack kiosks have come up on the footpath along the service lane adjacent to the Bathinda-Mansa highway. Apart from kiosks of eatables and beverages, a number of typists can be seen sitting near the service lane along the highway.

An employee of the district court said though the matter has been brought to the notice of the authorities concerned a number of times in the past, no permanent solution to the problem has been found by the authorities. The authorities had removed encroachments from outside the court complex, but later vend and kiosk owners again occupied the same space. A number of persons can be seen visiting these kiosks and garment sheds to make purchases.

A lawyer at the district court requesting anonymity said, “The problem of encroachments has been aggravated. Earlier, there were vends and garment sellers who had put up their kiosks and makeshift sheds for selling garments but of late their number has increased significantly. A half-hearted approach by the MC to remove encroachments would hardly serve any purpose. The MC authorities need to adopt a strict approach against encroachers. It is illegal to occupy footpaths, which are the right of every pedestrian. In my opinion, a fine should be imposed on those who encroach on footpaths.”

A commuter says encroachments outside the court complex cause a lot of inconvenience to pedestrians as there is barely any space left for them to walk along the highway. Moreover, vehicles moving along highways pose a risk to the lives of pedestrians. It seems that civic body officials and traffic police have turned a blind eye to the issue.

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said, “The area falls under PUDA’s jurisdiction, so they should take action to remove rehris, kiosks and other encroachments outside the District Court Complex. From my end, I will ensure that the MC takes action in the matter.”

Estate Officer, PUDA, Udaydeep Singh Sidhu said, “If the area falls under the PUDA’s jurisdiction, we must take an appropriate action.”