Encroachments: Directives of Mohali DC go for a toss

Tribune News Service

Lalru, May 3

The directives of the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Mohali, on the request of the project director, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), to the local police and other department concerned for the removal of encroachments from the Kalka-Ambala highway in Jharmari village seems to have been ignored.

Ironically, the complainant had landed in trouble with the Forest Department restricting her entry to the land alongside the highway by erecting a fence of barbed wires instead of removing the encroachments.

The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Tajinder Singh, was not available for comments. After receiving communication from the administration, the forest officials allegedly planted sampling on the government land along the boundary wall of the land of the owner and fenced it with barbed wires thus restricting entry of the land owner.

Harshdeep Kaur, a resident of Sector 34, Chandigarh, had complained to the NHAI, stating that some makeshift shops had come up illegally on the government land adjacent to the collection centre set up by the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department in Jharmari village.

The complainant had also wrote to chief engineers of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), Patiala and Mohali, alleging that the encroaches had drawn power for their shop illegally.

Taking a note of the complaints, the NHAI wrote to the DC seeking police action for the removal of the encroachments. The DC asked the district police to cooperate with the NHAI in removing the encroachments on March 3 but no action had been taken in this regard, she claimed.

“The forest authorities, however, fenced the area restricting the entry to our land,” Harshdeep Kaur said.