‘Wall of contention’ reconstructed to block illegal access

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, June 1

After dilly-dallying for nearly six months, the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) has finally put its act together and reconstructed a ‘wall of contention’, which was razed by certain private landowners to gain illegal access into A block of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar and the main road of the colony connecting Ferozepur Road.

LIT officials’ team, led by Superintending Engineer SS Jakhar arrived at the spot and put the labour on job to reconstruct the wall amid mild resistance by private property owners. Those behind pulling down the wall had also put up signboards at the site that they could not be restrained to use this passage as a local court had issued status quo.

LIT officials, however, told the residents that the stay order had been vacated and accordingly they were well within their right to commence reconstruction of the wall as no passage or public street was provided on this particular site as per the colony’s layout plan.

It was on November 9 last year that the wall adjoining Plots Nos 54 and 55 in block A of the Trust colony (now handed over to the Municipal Corporation for maintenance) was allegedly pulled down by a private land owner to gain direct access of his plot to the Ferozepur Road. LIT officials reached the spot after the wall was completely demolished.

When the private land owners continued with resistance against the reconstruction of the wall, LIT had lodged a criminal complaint of trespass and causing damage to government property with the police against the accused persons. That police failed to take any worthwhile action against the offenders in this particular case is another story. Jakhar said the reconstruction of the wall was necessary to protect any untoward incident and unlawful entry of people into the Trust colony. “A large number of area residents including those living in HIG flats of the Trust had also met LIT authorities in this regard,” he said.