Act against VIPs for encroachments, say Mohali councillors

Tribune News Service

Mohali, June 24

The issue of encroachments on government land rocked the Mohali MC House meeting today as councillors alleged that the civic body had failed on this front.

MC Commissioner Bhupinder Pal Singh, while showing displeasure over the allegations levelled by the councillors, expressed helplessness in removing the encroachments, fearing attacks on MC officials while carrying out demolition drives. Besides, the high and mighty had been interfering in the MC efforts to remove encroachments, he alleged.

The councillors alleged that the MC chief and his staff had failed to remove encroachments from government land and had also not been able to take action against VVIPs stopping anti-encroachment drives.

Recently, Punjab Cabinet Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu intervened and got an MC anti-encroachment demolition drive stopped in Phase X, terming it unethical and against law. An MC team had gone to remove encroachments from the house of former SAD leader Nirmal Singh Kanda, who joined the Congress two weeks ago.

The rift between local MLA-cum-Cabinet Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and city Mayor Kulwant Singh came to the fore when the minister allegedly intervened and got the demolition drive stopped. The MC team, while following the orders of the Mayor, had gone to demolish a structure erected on MC land. However, it returned from there, fearing a backlash from Congress supporters.

The MC Commissioner said it was not possible for employees to carry out a demolition drive in the absence of proper security. He said he feared that violators might thrash MC employees as they had been threatening to do so.

A survey was conducted by the Municipal Corporation in 2017 to identify encroachments. It was found that around 4,000 residents had encroached upon government land. 

The survey also pointed out encroachments by administrative officers, police officers and leaders. .The survey was conducted following RTI information sought by Deputy Mayor Manjit Singh Sethi regarding the nature of encroachments.