After Skylark, another major demolition on cards

Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, October 15

Having taken possession of a prime portion of its land in the Civil Lines area encroached upon by the owners of Skylark Hotel yesterday, the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (MC) is set to take yet another major stride.

MC officials in a joint operation with the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) are set to recover a 1-acre land worth Rs 30 crore in Latifpura, which lies encroached upon by 27 persons, including dairy farmers, for the past many years. Though the land falls in the Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar Scheme of the Trust, it also includes a portion of the 120-ft road of the MC.

JIT officials have already sought the support of the MC in this regard in a recent communication. Both civic bodies are being currently headed by Diprava Lakra, who is MC Commissioner and JIT Chairman.

The Supreme Court had passed a judgment in favour of the JIT on August 16, 2012, but the Trust authorities failed to get it cleared. The matter was recently raked up by Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu during his recent visit to the JIT office. A major demolition drive was planned soon after the court orders but the demolition team faced a lot of opposition then.

A survey was also conducted to identify the encroachers way back in 1999-2000. Those who are in the possession of the land had produced copies of the electricity bill, telephone connection, Aadhaar card, voter ID card, water supply bill to prove their point. However, the JIT officials maintained that the khasras were part of the Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar scheme for which the award had been announced by the Land Acquisition Collector on August 3, 1976, and the possession of the land had been given to the Trust on January 30, 1980.

Land encroached upon by 27 persons

The MC and the JIT are set to recover a 1-acre land worth Rs 30 crore in Latifpura, which lies encroached upon by 27 persons, including dairy farmers, for the past many years. Though the land falls in the Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar Scheme of the Trust, it also includes a portion of the 120-ft road of the MC.