Defaulters rule the roost as LIT gives a hang to violations

LUDHIANA: Slack enforcement coupled with conniving field staff and supervisory officials of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), violation of building bylaws, and especially illegal change of land use (commercial activity in residential buildings -a non-compoundable violation) continues in a brazen manner in most of the colonies which are still under administrative control of the trust.

Violation of building by laws and illegal change of land use continues with impunity in most of the LIT colonies in Ludhiana. File photo

Kuldip Bhatia
Ludhiana, June 11

Slack enforcement coupled with conniving field staff and supervisory officials of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), violation of building bylaws, and especially illegal change of land use (commercial activity in residential buildings -a non-compoundable violation) continues in a brazen manner in most of the colonies which are still under administrative control of the trust.

Action against violations, however, continues albeit on paper only without follow up action like demolition of non-compoundable violations or dispossession of allottees where allotment of the properties stood cancelled due to violations of the terms and conditions of allotment.

Sources in the LIT revealed that no further action had been taken for the cancellation of allotment or dispossession of allottees of 24 properties in Kitchlu Nagar Colony where final notices for discontinuation of commercial activities in residential buildings were issued in February 2019. Similarly, the LIT has still to take any follow up action against more than 30 allottees of residential and commercial properties where allotment had been cancelled for violation of terms and conditions of allotment.

Whatever the LIT officials might claim in this regard, but the fact remains that the issue of illegal change of land use (commercial use of residential properties) and violation of building bylaws in almost all colonies developed and presently maintained by the trust has been a big thorn in the flesh of the authorities with any viable solution defying the persistent problem.

“Till date, the allotment of a large number of residential, commercial and institutional properties has been cancelled in various colonies including HIG flats on Maharani Jhansi Road, residential flats and houses in Sant Isher Singh Nagar, Maharishi Valmiki Nagar, Rajguru Nagar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar colonies for illegal change of land use, alteration in standard design and violation of building bylaws in various trust colonies,” claim the LIT officials, but what they fail to elaborate is that no further action for eviction of the occupants has been taken in even a single case of defaulting property owners.

The LIT Executive Officer Harpreet Singh Sandhu said colony-wise lists of defaulting properties has been prepared for the cancellation of allotment where final notice to allottees as per rules have already been issued.

The proposal for cancellation would be put up in the next Trust meeting and further follow up action as per rules would be taken thereafter. He said some delay in follow up action had occurred due to long gap between the Trust meetings caused by code of conduct having been enforced for Lok Sabha elections.

No action taken against allottees

No further action had been taken for the cancellation of allotment or dispossession of allottees of 24 properties in Kitchlu Nagar Colony where final notices for discontinuation of commercial activities in residential buildings were issued in February 2019. Similarly, the LIT has still to take any follow up action against more than 30 allottees of residential and commercial properties where allotment had been cancelled for violation of terms and conditions of allotment.