DC gets 15-day notice to clear Latifpura encroachments

After the local administration failed to get removed illegal encroachments by Latifpura residents on 120 feet road abutting Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar as per the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the plaintiffs have started legal action by getting a notice issued on the matter.

Sohan Singh of Model Town and Rabinder Singh of Rishi Nagar have got a notice issued to the Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar, through their lawyer Ranjit Bajaj, saying that they would wait for 15 days, failing which he they would file a contempt petition in the court.

The plaintiffs have said when the matter came up for hearing in the High Court on July 29, it was pointed out that there is widespread encroachment on 120 feet road which is preventing access of the residents to the schools, hospitals, etc. The HC disposed of the petition with a direction to the DC to get removed the encroachments within one month from the date of receipt of the certified copy of order.

The order had been passed in the presence of Assistant Advocate General, Punjab. "Though the stipulated period of one month has lapsed long ago, the encroachments have not been removed from the 120 feet wide road. In this regard, my clients have visited the office of the DC on a number of times with a request to get the encroachments removed at the earliest. The encroachments are causing a lot of problem to my clients as well as other residents of the locality. The period of one month has lapsed long ago but not even a single encroachment has been removed. The only plea being made is that meetings have been held with the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, and the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, however, no meaningful outcome has emerged to date", reads the copy of the notice.

The notice further mentions, "It shows the noticee is intentionally and wilfully not complying with the order passed by the High Court. I call upon you to remove the encroachments within 15 days from the date of receipt of this notice, failing which I have specific instructions from my clients to file contempt petition in the High Court against you."