MC to act against colonisers

Ravneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 11

Officials of the Municipal Corporation (MC) on Friday said they would act against the colonisers who illegally initiated the work of laying sewer pipes on private land on the Jhill village road near Aman Bagh. They said these pipes were being laid for an illegal colony.  

The MC officials confirmed that they had not given any no-objection certificate to any coloniser for carrying out work on the land. However, the officials have not been able to identify the developers and the owners of the land. In 2017, they had also stopped illegal work at the same site.

A tractor was being used to level the sand and it was being collected and positioned to construct roads later. A water tanker was also procured for the site. Around five persons, who were governing the illegal work, said a new scheme has been launched at the site.

MC Joint Commissioner Ankur Mahendru has directed officials to act in the matter. 

He said photographs and a video of the illegal work, along with details of the workers, should be collected for initiating action. He added, “We will find out the owners of the land for further action.”

An assistant town planner (ATP) from the building branch said, “We have got the illegal work, which was going on at the site, stopped. We are trying to identify the colonisers and owners of the land.” 

The ATP confirmed that the work of laying sewer pipes was illegal as the MC had not given a no-objection certificate for construction work or any development there.

Sources in the MC said a number of local property dealers were involved in the illegal work. They said illegal construction had started at the site for the second time. 

“Our officials had stopped the similar illegal work of laying sand at the site in 2017 as well,” said an MC employee.

MC Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira said the colonisers had an option to get any illegal colony regularised as per the new regularisation policy. “Now, we will issue a notice to the coloniser to follow the due process as per the policy.”