Sirsa: Shops razed to make way for pipeline
Sirsa, May 15
The administration took action against illegal encroachments at Ganga village in Sirsa’s Dabwali region on Wednesday. A team of officials and police personnel, including the duty magistrate, used JCB machines to clear encroachments that were obstructing a Rs 50 lakh water pipeline project. The previous evening, a similar attempt had failed, leading to villagers blocking roads in protest.
It should be noted that on Tuesday evening, officials arrived at Ganga village in the Dabwali area to remove the illegal encroachments but returned without taking any action.
Angry villagers blocked the Goriwala-Sangaria road near the main bus stand of the village to keep the team from returning.
This also resulted in traffic congestion, and several vehicles were stuck in a traffic jam overnight.
The team revisited the village on Wednesday, accompanied by police and JCB machines. Subsequently, amid the possibility of tensions escalating, the encroachments affecting the village’s development or water supply scheme were removed.
Villagers Gurusevak Singh and Ranjeet Singh explained that a water pipeline, nearly 3 kilometres long, was laid from the Kaluana mine near Modi village. Some houses and shops were obstructing the pipeline’s path. This issue had also been taken to the civil court and the high court. The High Court, however, dismissed the case of the encroachers on April 20 and asked the authorities concerned to appoint a duty magistrate to supervise the removal of the encroachments.
Sirsa DC Ram Kumar Singh appointed XEN Vijay Kumar of the Public Health Engineering Department as the duty magistrate on May 1. Vijay, along with JE Amar Singh of PWD B&R and SHO Sadar of Dabwali police, arrived on Tuesday evening to remove the illegal encroachments. After a discussion with the encroachers, the team returned without taking any action.
Following which, on Wednesday, the process of removing the illegal encroachments commenced at the village. Those opposing the administration’s action were detained by the police. With the presence of the duty magistrate, 12 shops and other structures obstructing the road were cleared.
