Stand-off between admn, eating joint owner

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, February 14

The Kangra district administration and the person running an eating joint at the War Memorial in Dharamsala are at loggerheads for the past two days.

The administration has sent a local magistrate and the police to seal the eating joint at the War Memorial.

The magistrate conveyed the information to the person who was running the eating joint that the SDM had ordered vacation of property under the Public Premises Act.

However, despite the presence of the police and local magistrate, the property could not be vacated. The person running the eating joint got the support of HPCA spokesperson Sanjay Sharma. They confronted the local magistrate and asked him to bring the original copy of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) orders.

Today, the local magistrate and the police returned to seal the property. After staying for almost a day , they failed to act due to resistance put by Sanjay Sharma and person running the eating joint. The magistrate was informed that the person running the eating joint had filed a case in the Himachal Pradesh High Court. The magistrate returned with an assurance that he would vacate the land in case the High Court rules against him.

The complacency of the authorities in getting the government property was not an isolated case. In many cases, prime properties of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation have been grabbed by influential people in gross violation of rules. The properties have not been vacated by the influential people, despite orders by various courts.

A building close to the office of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation office had been leased out to an influential person for meagre rent. The person has further rented it to private persons and banks at much higher rent. The building had not been vacated, despite the fact that the magisterial inquiries ordered by the government in its allotted and further lease had held the act of the lease illegal.

Sources said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders protesting against the action on eating joint on War Memorial had threatened the officials concerned to take action against them in case they were voted to power. They also threatened to expose the officials for making public other properties that were in illegal control of people close to the ruling party. In this case, the threats seem to have worked.