Sarabha Nagar residents fed up of encroachments

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 2

The Sarabha Nagar market is a posh area that lies in the heart of the city. Every resident and visitor loves visiting this place, but of late, several commercial activities in the market have brought inconvenience to residents.

Senior citizens have to bear the brunt and suffer harassment at the hands of shopkeepers/ restaurant/ hotel owners and their staff as the entrance of their residences has been allegedly encroached upon.

DD Sharma is a retired government employee and an asthmatic patient as well. He resides in one of these shop-cum-flats (SCFs) at Sarabha Nagar market. He said the entrance for the flat was from the rear side of the market and the particular street was originally 10-feet wide from where even trucks could pass through. “But now, the street has been encroached upon by shopkeepers, restaurant owners and their cooks. It is in a very filthy condition and one can see gas cylinders lying here and there. The leftovers are thrown in the street and at times, the cooks or helpers start peeling vegetables right in the middle of the street. It becomes virtually impossible to pass through.”

“We have a shop in the front side and we pass through it during the day, but at times, if we have to visit a doctor in emergency during night, we cannot open the huge shutters. Since the street remains choked and unhygienic, we prefer to go by passing through the shop only,” he rued.

Another resident said the sewerage lines remain choked most of the times as shopkeepers throw the waste in the street.

“We have complained to the MC authorities several times, but to no avail. We know that vested interest of the MC staff is well watched by these restaurants owners so they prefer to look the other way. But they should realise our plight, too, and take appropriate action against encroachers,” rued another resident, whose mother is a heart patient.

Several RTI applications have been filed with the MC authorities to check if SCFs have been converted into business hubs by shopkeepers without paying the Change of Land Use (CLU) fees or not. But so far no action has been taken.