MLA Batra seeks ownership rights for deprived Rohtak shopkeepers

Senior Congress leader and local MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra while speaking at Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday raised the issue of shopkeepers who have been living as tenants at various government sites in Rohtak for the past 20 years, seeking the benefit of the Chief Minister's Swamitva Scheme. He called on the government to consider the matter sympathetically and provide the tenants their rightful ownership of the properties.

Batra highlighted several locations, including Shivaji Colony, Subhash Road, Kacha Beri Road, Gandhi Camp and others, where tenants were living for over two decades. He said despite applying for the ownership under the Swamitva Scheme, these tenants had not been granted any rights.

In his speech in the Vidhan Sabha, Batra emphasised that many shops were established in these areas, such as 41 shops in Shivaji Colony Market, 50 shops in another part of Shivaji Colony and 54 shops on Kaccha Beri Road. He pointed out that these people were paying rent to the local authorities, including the municipality, for years but were not granted ownership rights under the scheme.

Batra questioned the delay and sought clarification from the department about the reasons behind the denial of ownership to these tenants. He cited the policy issued by the General Administration Department on April 19, 2023, which, according to him, rejected the inclusion of these properties under the Swamitva Scheme.

“In response, Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goel gave assurance that after discussions with the Chief Minister, the departments would work together to find a solution. Goel stated that the guidelines issued in the recent policy did not apply to properties like those on public roads or those owned by the departments such as health, transport, or tourism,” said Batra.

The Congress MLA further demanded that the government should not focus on who made the mistake in the past, but instead, it should offer relief to the tenants and allow them to claim ownership, as they had been tenants for decades. He emphasised the need for a fresh policy to address the issue, considering the long-term tenancy and the actual ownership of these properties.