Gas pipeline contractor caught on wrong side of law

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

It was nearing midnight on the day of Lohri when a few residents of Sector 42-C, along with this correspondent, stood witness to 13 labourers dumping a yellow gas pipeline in the forest area right opposite the 2BHK Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) flats. On enquiring, the supervisor said Indian Oil Adani Gas Pvt Ltd (IOAGPL) had given the contract of laying gas pipelines in Sector 41 and 42 to a private company and the project was being operated from the ground floor of CHB flat number 2928 in the sector.

While CHB rules prohibit any commercial activity in its residential area in view of the Forest Conservation Act, using a forest area for non-forest purposes without seeking permission from the Divisional Forest Officer is a violation of the Act.

On visiting the house the following morning, this correspondent found rolled bundles of pipelines stacked in the front veranda of the house and three tables and chairs plonked in the drawing room area. The pipes and a bag full of bricks were littered on the other side of the fence that marked the boundary of the forest area. From the top floor, this correspondent also saw a number of pipes and iron rods stored in the rear veranda of the house.

“We are working for the contractor. Earlier, the tender was given to a Ghaziabad-based company, BKT, which later gave it to TTC (Tomar Tele-Communications), which is also run from Ghaziabad,” said Amarinder Gupta, the project manager. Gupta said the rented accommodation was being used only temporarily for storing pipes and other construction material. He, however, claimed to be unaware of the rules. “This place was rented out to us for easy functioning and we weren’t aware that the green patch falls under the Forest Department,” he said.

While residents kept mum on the issue, they said on condition of anonymity that the presence of labourers in the area till the wee hours did not make them feel secure. “Instances of theft have become common in the area and a couple of years ago, a woman was raped right behind the forest area adjoining the highway opposite Mohali. This is not a gated society, so safety is an issue,” said a local. Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Dabendra Dalai said, “No permission for stacking pipes was sought from the Forest Department and this is a violation of the Forest Conservation Act.” Sunil Malik, Executive Engineer, CHB, said, “A CHB residence cannot be used as a godown for stacking construction material and we will follow it up.”

Adani asset head admits to lapse

Admitting to a lapse on his part, Sanjay Tarat, asset head at the city branch of the IOAGPL in the Industrial Area, Phase I, said there was a provision for storage in the Industrial Area, right behind Elante Mall. “We have a proper warehouse, but because the Administration does not allow trailers to enter the city before 11 pm, most contractors shirk from storing their material in the godown here. They may also do it to save an extra buck as these are 12-metre-long pipes and they have to be laid in a stipulated time, sometimes even within a day. However, what has happened at Sector 42 is definitely a violation of CHB rules and the Forest Act. I will certainly take it up with the contractor,” he said.