Patiala MC under scanner for clearing building plan

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 6

The Patiala Municipal Corporation has come under scanner for clearing the building plan of about 2,500- sq yd area that is a part of Kaulian wala pond that falls on the Patiala-Rajpura road.

Since the High Court has maintained a status quo on the multi-crore land since 1993 following a case since the land was allegedly not demarcated properly and it falls under the town planning scheme, the corporation cannot clear the building plan of this land. However, flouting all the norms, the corporation has cleared the plan on the basis of a registry that is over five decades old and owners have even started levelling the pond.

One of the officials on condition of anonymity said on February 2, 2011, Gurjant Singh had submitted a building plan (No 620) of 150 sq yd in the same area for clearance, claiming that he was the owner and wanted to do the fencing but the corporation denied it saying that there was status quo on the spot (the copy of the court orders are with The Tribune) and therefore, the building plan could not be cleared. The plan is still pending with the corporation.

However, now the MC has cleared the building plan of 2,500 sq yd of the pond area and thus, it is being seen as an attempt to sell the multi-crore land in connivance with some senior officials of the corporation. Former SAD-BJP Mayor Amaninder Singh Bazaz said it was a big scam. Ever since the Congress-led MC House had taken over, it was in the process of selling the government land and this was politically motivated.

He said the building plan for the land had come up for approval also when he was the Mayor but the corporation had cancelled it since any pond land comes under government but how the building plan had been cleared was something that needs to be thoroughly investigated. The Local Bodies Minister should suspend all officers who were involved in the scam.

Harpal Juneja, district president, SAD, said Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had turned a blind eye to the land mafia even in this hometown and the way the corporation was hell-bent on selling the government land was highly unfortunate.

Meanwhile, Ankur Mohindru, Joint Commissioner of the Patiala Municipal Corporation, said the corporation had taken a legal opinion before clearing the building plan.

“Actually the land has two parts and our ownership is on the half of that. The court case is pertaining to the other part as we have demarcated the land as per the revenue records,” he added.   

Acted against norms

Since the High Court has maintained a status quo on the multi-crore land since 1993 following a case since the land was allegedly not demarcated properly and falls under the town planning scheme, the corporation cannot clear the building plan of this land. However, flouting all the norms, the corporation has cleared the plan on the basis of a registry that is over five decades old and owners have even started levelling the pond.