Karnal administration cracks down on illegal colonies
Karnal, February 7
In a crackdown on unauthorised colonies, the Department of Town and Country Planning has demolished over 20 illegal colonies in the past two months. The action is being initiated with an aim to curb the rampant mushrooming of unauthorised settlements in the district.
Besides, the department is going to demolish nearly 15 more illegal colonies this month, for which it has served notices on people who are setting up these settlements.
“We have demolished nearly 20 unauthorised colonies across the district, and around 15 will be demolished this month,” said Om Parkash, District Town Planner (DTP).
It came to fore that the demolished colonies were violating the Haryana Urban Development Act, 1975, which requires a licence from the competent authority before carving out a colony within the urban area.
Structures erected in illegal colonies, along with the road network, were razed to the ground, said the DTP.
Last year on December 21, the department razed illegal structures in two underdeveloped colonies in Mangal Colony, part 2, spread over around seven acres. Officials also took action against one colony spread over one acre in Gharaunda on December 20.
Two other colonies spread over around four acres were demolished on the Kunjpura-Mangalpur road on December 18. Similarly, a colony spread over 1.75 acres in Matakmajri in Indri, and one in Indergarh were razed on December 26.
A colony spread on 8.5 acres in Malikpur was demolished on January 16. Three colonies on the Kaithal road were razed on January 9, while three more colonies – one in Newal and two in Badagaon — were demolished on January 10. The department carried out demolition drives in two colonies situated in Pundrak on January 11. Besides, such drives were carried out in three colonies situated in Taraori on January 12. The department demolished colonies on January 19, January 30 and January 31.
However, some people voiced concerns over the demolition of their structures and asked the government to regularise their colonies. The DTP said the department had served notices on people, but when they did not stop construction, it had demolished the structures. The department has appealed to residents not to invest their money in such unauthorised colonies and check with the officials before purchasing land or a plot.
