Drive to clear encroachments on main Mansa Devi road gains momentum

Preparations are at full pace to clear encroachments from the main approach road to the historic Mata Mansa Devi Temple, even as residents of Gandhi Colony staged a protest today when officials marked land near Majri Chowk for them.

According to officials, around 600 families been living in the colony for nearly three decades. The move follows a high-level meeting chaired recently by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, in which explicit directions were issued to remove encroachments from the temple road. The administration, Municipal Corporation, the HSVP and the police are set to carry out the drive jointly, expected as early as Sunday.

Gandhi Colony, located in Mansa Devi Complex, Sector 4, has been home to families who earn their livelihood largely through domestic work and daily-wage labour in nearby houses and flats. According to officials, repeated attempts were made in the past to clear the colony, but political considerations stalled the process. Sources suggest that displaced families will be temporarily shifted to a land near the Ghaggar river (Majri Chowk), while the government is considering allotting flats to eligible residents.

With municipal elections approaching, political tempers have flared. Within the BJP itself, one section favours immediate clearance of the road, while another fears electoral backlash, as the councillor’s previous victory in Ward No. 1 was secured with support from Gandhi Colony voters. Tensions rose today when officials began marking land near the colony, prompting residents to stage a protest. They raised slogans against the administration and demanded alternative housing arrangements before any eviction. — TNS