Govt bans construction on Tangri riverbed

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, June 2

To keep a check on illegal colonies, the state government has notified the Tangri riverbed in Ambala.

The riverbed has been notified under Section 45 of the Haryana Canal and Drainage Act, 1974. As per the information, the land could be used for agriculture purposes, but no new construction could be done there.

Due to illegal colonies on the riverbed of the Tangri, a seasonal river, the river has shrunk and it poses danger to the people residing there. More than 1,700 families are residing on the riverbed.

A few years ago, residents had lost their belongings when water entered their homes. Last year, notices were pasted in the colonies, asking the residents to move to safer places.

The government notified the riverbed in the areas of Babyal, Sarsheri, Rampur, Khojipur and Naggal villages in the district.

Praveen Gupta, XEN, Irrigation Department, said: “People still can use the land for agriculture purposes, but they can’t do any kind of construction on it to ensure smooth flow of water in the river.”

He said: “There are no directions for the people who are already living there. But like previous years, we will make announcements asking them to vacate and shift to safer places during rainy seasons.”

Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh said: “The tehsildar has been directed to ensure that no new registries are done.

The administration will ensure that no new construction is carried out and there is no obstacle in the flow of the river water.”