Parwanoo councillor disqualified for encroachment on govt land

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Solan, February 13

The Director of the Urban Development Department, Gopal Chand, has disqualified Chandravati, a councillor from the Parwanoo Municipal Council, for encroaching on government land.

The orders came more than three years after she contested from Ward No. 4 in Parwanoo. The issue was not raised when she had filed her nomination and now when she had completed half of her term, she had been disqualified.

A Parwanoo resident had filed two complaints against her in May 2022 and January 2023. The complainant alleged that her husband Raja Ram had encroached on government land belonging to the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority.

The complainant alleged that while filing her nomination for the ward elections, she concealed the facts about the issue. She submitted her reply in January 2024 and failed to prove the allegation wrong. She merely stated that no eviction order had been passed by any competent authority regarding the encroachment.

As per records produced by the Kasauli SDM, it was found that the family had encroached upon government land. Taking these facts into consideration, Gopal Chand had ordered her disqualification on February 3 under Section 16(2)(ii) of the HP Municipal Act, 1994.

Earlier, vice-president of the Arki Nagar Panchayat was disqualified in May 2023 for encroaching on government land and constructing a house there.