Residents protest construction restrictions

Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Hisar, August 20

Residents of five villages staged a demonstration at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Tuesday, demanding regularisation of their houses after imposition of restrictions on construction activity by the district authorities.

The authorities had termed these localities as illegal and the matter was pending in the revenue court. The authorities had served eviction notices on occupants in 2014 under the Haryana Public Premises and Land (Eviction and Land Recovery) Act, terming possession of land as wrongful and unauthorised.

Satpal Singh, an activist of the ‘sangharsh samiti’ leading the agitation for regularisation, said they had been occupants for about five decades and the state government had provided facilities and amenities.

“Residents are not at fault and cannot afford to lose their houses. We submitted a memorandum to the Additional Deputy Commissioner, who assured us on an audience with the Chief Minister on August 24,” he said.

He said the samiti would chalk out its future course of action after the meeting with the Chief Minister. He said the administration has posted officials in villages to keep a watch and bar residents from undertaking any construction.

Meena of Dhandoor village said her family had been living in the village for 25 years. She said construction of stairs was going on, but a team of the administration stopped work on Tuesday.

Vinod said a toilet was being constructed in his house, but a team of officials stopped him from proceeding with the work.

The five villages — Pirawali, C block Chikanwas, Dhandoor, Beed Babran and Diggi Taal — were spread over around 235 acres originally earmarked for families of freedom fighters. This land was owned by the Government Livestock Farm.

In 1955, the then Punjab Government headed by Pratap Singh Kairon resumed the land and leased it out to 425 families of freedom fighters and ‘mujaras’ families (landless labourers who prepared land for cultivation).

They were later given ownership rights. The land demarcated for residential purposes of beneficiaries got embroiled in a row as the land was not mutated in favour of beneficiaries in revenue records.

Over the years, the population swelled to about 25,000 with landless labourers and migrants purchasing land to settle down in these villages.

On June 24 last year, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced several development projects for three villages. District officials later termed as unfeasible the announcements made by him.