Govt spreading lies, no links with land mafia: Latifpura protesters

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 21

“We have pledged to continue this indefinite protest against the government until justice is delivered,” stating this, the Latifpura oustees, led by the Latifpura Murr Waseba Sanjha Morcha, burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) Chairman Jagtar Singh Sanghera here today outside the office of JIT near Skylark Chowk.

Supporting the poor oustees

We are supporting the poor residents who have lost both their houses and shops in the demolition. JIT officials should come and meet the poor children, elders and others who have been living in these tents for over one month. — Morcha members

Members of the morcha, including Kashmir Singh Jandiala of BKU (Rajewal); Kashmir Singh Ghugshore, Tarsem Singh Vicky Jainpur and Jasveer Kaur Jassi of the Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee, said the people of Latifpura were first displaced from Pakistan during the Partition and now they had been again displaced by Bhagwant Mann-led-AAP government.

They alleged that citing court orders, the JIT first hastily carried out a demolition drive without any demarcation. “Moreover, the JIT Chairman has been making false claims of taking possession of 241 marlas, but in reality more than 350 marlas were bulldozed and destroyed,” they claimed.

The morcha leaders alleged in order to come out clean in the matter, the government was spreading false propaganda about land mafia. They said the Latifpura Rehabilitation Committee had no connection with any such land mafia and neither did it support any wrong person. “We are supporting the poor residents who had lost both their houses and shops in the demolition. JIT officials who are making false claims, should come and meet the poor children, elders and others who have been living in these tents for the past over one month,” they alleged.

One of the residents of Latifpura, Kashmir Singh, said if the government had really cared about the residents, it would have first thought about the rehabilitation of the affected families. He said instead of giving political colours to the issue, the government should resettle the displaced people in Latifpura itself.

Morcha leaders also said the main motive of their protest is to resettle the genuine displaced families, needy people and those residents who moved here during partition. He said until the government doesn’t compensate these residents, the protest will continue. “We will now hold a massive protest on January 26 during the Republic Day celebration outside Guru Gobind Singh Stadium,” they added.

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