Civic body seeks HC help for payment of Rs 41 crore
Praful Chander Nagpal
Fazilka, October 31
After upgrading the status of Fazilka subdivision to district headquarters on July 27, 2011, the Punjab government had decided to raise a District Administrative Complex (DAC) and Police Lines here.
Rajnish Girdhar, Executive Officer, Municipal Council, said the state government acquired 44 kanals of prime land from the MC for DAC at collector’s price on the Fazilka-Abohar road. An amount of Rs 37 crore was fixed for the land.
Similarly, the government purchased another 160 kanals of land for the Police Lines behind the District Court Complex at the cost of Rs 6.40 crore. Both the buildings were completed in due course and have been occupied by the departments concerned without paying the cost of the land.
Sources said the land was still in the name of the MC in the revenue record.
The DAC was thrown open in haste just before the 2017 Assembly elections to garner votes. But the government had not paid even a single penny to the MC which had been facing worst-ever financial crisis.
The official sources said the MC wrote several letter4s and conducted meetings with the authorities concerned for paying the amount, but to no avail.
Ultimately, on August 8, 2015, the BJP-SAD-led Municipal Council decided to explore legal options against its own government. Left with no other option, the MC filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court last month seeking relief from the court to the tune of Rs 41 crore.
It was resolved unanimously in the council meeting held on Monday that the MC would contest the case and have sought permission from the government for spending the requisite amount and hiring a counsel in Chandigarh.
The Deputy Commissioner’s office, Fazilka, has forwarded the issue to the office of the Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Punjab.
