Residents welcome move to amend cantt board rules

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 27

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s recent announcement to remove archaic provisions from the Cantonment Board Rules, 2006 has brought cheer to the residents of Jalandhar Cantonment. Nearly 60 per cent of them migrated from Pakistan and do not have any property rights even after 69 years of independence.

The residents here also want the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to grant them the right of change of land purpose (CLP) and the right to sub-division of properties.

Row over land ownership

There has been a controversy over the ownership rights of around 2,800 old grant properties (the occupancy rights of which were granted by the British during the Anglo-Sikh era of 1846). The British established the Jalandhar Cantonment on 3,102 acres of around 15 villages in 1846.

Parshottam Lal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jalandhar Cantonment Board, said though migrants from Pakistan occupied majority of these properties under the Evacuee Property Act 1950, they did not execute the mutation with the Cantonment Board.

“We have not received any communication over the mutation of old grant properties by the Rehabilitation Department till date. We can’t grant them ownership rights. For such properties, even today our records recognise only those people as occupants, who were granted rights by the British in 1846,” said Lal.

Sneh Gupta, Vice-President of the Cantonment Board, said the MoD under the new amendment should acknowledge the right given to the ancestors of migrant families by the Rehabilitation Department and grant them the ownership rights of their properties.

‘Lift ban on CLP’

The residents also seek that the ban on the CLP be lifted to boost economic growth in the cantonment. Rajinder Sharma, councillor of ward number 5, said the Cantonment Board, which was entrusted with the CLP power, used it indiscriminately. This led to congestion in the military area. “Perturbed over this, the MoD banned the CLP in 1962. However, the government should revoke the ban to sustain economic growth in the cantonment area,” he said.

Subdivision of properties

The residents have also demanded that the ban on the subdivision of properties between inheritors be revoked. Vinod Kumar, resident of Royal Artillery (RA) Bazaar, said numerous litigations were pending in courts since the MoD banned the subdivision of properties in 1960.

‘Open the peripheral roads’

Harvinder Setia of Halotali village said the MoD should open the peripheral roads around the cantonment to improve the lives of people living in five villages, including Dhina, Halotali, Subhana and Garha.