GMADA turns blind eye

Tribune News Service
Mohali, May 21

The Lakhnaur furniture market has witnessed three major fire incidents in the past couple of years. The market has been set up on the encroached land at Lakhnaur village and the authorities concerned failed to act to date.

Rohit Gupta, Estate Officer, GMADA, said he has directed his staff to inspect the site today and prepare a report.

On Monday night, another fire in the market gutted five furniture shops. The illegal market has more than 30 shops. According to sources, the fire officials had managed to douse the flames within a span of one-and-a-half-hour. Else, the damage could have been much more.

Gupta, who was on election duty in Uttar Pradesh, said he would initiate appropriate action in regard to the illegal furniture market after I return.

According to sources in the GMADA, shopkeepers in the market have been served notices for vacating land several times. “The authorities did nothing after issuing notices to the businessmen,” sources said.

The shopkeepers who had suffered losses in yesterday’s fire incident, were seen reconstructing their makeshift shops at the site.

In April 2018, the site had witnessed a major fire incident in which most of the shops in the market were gutted. A similar incident had occurred in October 2018.

It is to be noted that the land on which the market has come up, belongs to the GMADA.