Encroachments choke Chaura Bazar

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, September 7

Lack of enforcement and stern action against shopkeepers and vendors stocking and selling their merchandise all along in Chaura Bazar has created such a situation that even pedestrians find it difficult to move in the oldest commercial hub of the city what to speak of smooth flow of traffic.

The lapse on the part of the tehbazari wing of the Municipal Corporation (MC) to take remedial steps is also utter violation of the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on encroachments.

While moving from Clock Tower Chowk to Girja Ghar Chowk and further to Ghas Mandi, it is usual to come across goods meant for sale displayed on the roadside by shopkeepers and vendors. They stack and sell their goods on the road almost in front of every shop and showroom. The menace has assumed alarming proportions due to callousness and collusion (in most cases) of the tehbazari wing staff of the MC with offenders.

In a complaint filed with the Chief Secretary to Government of Punjab and Additional Chief Secretary of the Local Government Department, Rohit Sabharwal, president of the Council of RTI Activists had cited orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court given in COCP (No 27 of 2013) under which temporary encroachments were removed by the MC staff and a status report was filed through an affidavit on January 15, 2016.

Sabharwal also attached a copy of an office order issued by the then MC Commissioner GK Singh on January 7, 2016, which state, “Order in the larger public interest that the road from Ghanta Ghar to Ghas Mandi Chowk, commonly known as Chaura Bazar, shall be strictly prohibited for parking vehicles, placing benches, chairs, rehris and other movable articles, including dummies. The loading and unloading of goods by shopkeepers shall be carried out before 7.30 am and after 9 pm.”

In the complaint it was further stated that due to lackadaisical attitude the MC authorities had failed to maintain the status of removed temporary encroachments as these immediately came up after any action was taken against erring shopkeepers or vendors.

The staff of the tehbazari wing also claimed that temporary encroachments were removed eight times during this period.

The complainant has asked the government to take appropriate action in this regard and find some permanent solution so that the congested Chaura Bazar could be kept free of encroachments and a status report submitted before the Hon’ble High Court could be maintained.