Material, pipes lifted from CHB flat

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 17

Taking prompt action on a report published in these columns, “Gas pipeline contractor caught on wrong side of law”, gas pipes stored in a 2BHK CHB flat in Sector 42-C were removed today.

Residents said a truck made four-five rounds to lift the pipes and construction material dumped at the residence. The forest area opposite the flats has been cleared too. “The front and rear veranda have also been cleared. Workers cleaned the forest area and removed the pipes from there yesterday when they were told about the violation,” said a resident.

CHB Secretary Ruchi Singh said they took quick action following the report published in these columns. “I will get the flat inspected again tomorrow to check if everything is okay,” she said. CHB Executive Engineer Sunil Malik sent a Junior Engineer to inspect the site. “The field officer was sent to ensure that all material stored there was removed. By now, most things stored there, including pipes, have been lifted. In a day or two, it will be cleared completely,” he added.

The contractor, Rakesh 

Tomar, of the Ghaziabad-based Tomar Tele-Communications (TTC), said he was not aware of the CHB rules and they would vacate the flat soon, for which he was paying Rs 22, 000. 

“We were not given permission to store gas pipelines and construction material here. We have now moved all material to our warehouse in Halo Majra,” he said.

Chief Conservator of Forests Dabendra Dalai too sent the Deputy Conservator of Forests to inspect the area. “The Deputy Conservator of Forests visited the site twice, but by then the pipes were removed from the forest area and kept on the adjoining footpath,” he said.