GLADA to pay Rs 11 cr to get 4 acres vacated

Kuldip Bhatia

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Ludhiana, April 5

Decks have been cleared for removal of encroachments (mostly jhuggis) from a pocket of four-acre prime land of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), along with part of a 100 feet road (also under encroachment) near Sector 39 on Ludhiana-Chandigarh Road here. However, GLADA would have to shell out Rs 11 crore which would have to be paid to the Municipal Corporation, so the cash-strapped MC could complete construction of one-room tenements at Mundian Kalan and Dhandari where some 1,000 uprooted jhuggi-dwellers would be shifted.

The proposal was given final shape after a site visit by Congress legislator Sanjay Talwar, along with Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Aggrawal, Municipal Commissioner Jaskiran Singh and GLADA Estate Officer Navraj Singh Brar on Wednesday.

During the visit to the GLADA land under encroachment, Talwar pointed out that nearly 1,000 jhuggi dwellers squatting on the chunk of land and part of 100 feet road would have to be rehabilitated on humanitarian grounds. He suggested the uprooted families be shifted to flats for the urban poor under construction at Mundian Kalan and Dhandari under a centrally funded project.

On being told by MC officials that work on this project was stalled for the time being due to a paucity of funds, it was agreed that GLADA would make a payment of Rs 11 crore to the MC for early completion of the remaining flats and thereafter action would be initiated for removal of encroachments and shifting of jhuggi dwellers to the one-room flats.

Congress legislator Talwar, who represents the Ludhiana East segment, said land under encroachment near Sector 39 formed part of Ward No. 21 and 23 which were a part of the Ludhaian East Assembly constituency.

“Encroachments on government land have to be removed but at the same time, we cannot just throw away the jhuggi-dwellers and their families. Keeping this in mind, I insisted that encroachments be cleared only after construction of one-room flats are completed, so uprooted jhuggi dwellers could be rehabilitated,” said Talwar while talking to The Tribune.

The GLADA Estate Officer said as of now, no plan for utilisation of four acres (having an estimated market value of Rs 55 crore) has been formulated because it has been under encroachment for a long time. Once GLADA gets possession of this land, appropriate planning for its use for commercial, residential or institutional purpose would be carried out,” he added.