MC demolition drive along Buddha Nullah

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 12

The Municipal Corporation (MC) today demolished dozens of “encroachments” that were raised a long time ago in the shape of buildings, mostly “vehras” that comprise multiple rooms, along Buddha Nullah near the Upkar Nagar bridge.

After the MC action, hundreds of people, including elderly, women and children, were forced to move to road with their belongings.

Most of these persons were tenants and used to pay rent (ranging between Rs 1,400-2,000 per room) in the buildings. Many tenants, who claimed to have been living there for a long time, blamed the MC and the alleged encroachers, who used to collect room rent from them, for not giving them prior information about today’s drive.

The MC started the drive in the morning when a number of dwellers, including migrant labourers and others belonging to economically weaker sections, had gone to their work place.

Forty-year-old Shatrudhan, who and his wife are physically challenged, said, “We along with our three children were living in a rented room for a long time. We used to pay Rs 1,700 rent to a man who used to claim himself to be the building owner. When we went to work this morning, the MC team came to demolish the building wherein we were living. When we got information about this action, we rushed back to the room.”

Shatrudhan, sitting in a tri-cycle and looking after his belongings kept on road, said, “Neither the MC nor the man, who used to collect room rent, had given prior information about the drive. We are poor people, but not encroachers as we used to pay rent. What should we appeal to the government now when we were forced to stay on road? It would be difficult for me to find a new rented accommodation immediately.”

Another tenant, Sarojini said, “We could not afford a better accommodation. That’s why we used to live with our family in a low-rented room in one of the ‘vehras’ that was demolished today. A number of persons like us could not get their articles shifted out of buildings before the drive. When the red sign was marked, the MC had not informed us about today’ action. If we were given some time, we could have made arrangements to find out another accommodation instead of facing a lot of trouble today. Now, we are on road with our children.”

‘Encroachers milked money for years’

A number of alleged encroachers had been earning money by giving the rooms in “vehras” on rent for decades. A tenant Daya Shankar said, “I used to live in a rented room of a ‘vehra’ that comprised 54 rooms.

Around 250-300 persons were living in these rooms on rent and there were just four toilets for tenants. Due to low rent, we used to live there. When red sign was marked on the ‘vehra’ wherein I was living, MC officials had asked that ‘vehra’ dwellers to vacate the land, but the man, who used to collect rent from us, had not informed us about any demolition drive.”

Another tenant said, “The authorities should make announcement with speakers and also give proper notices at least one week before taking any such action.”

‘Feeling cheated’

Some persons claimed that they had purchased land along the nullah from some other persons in the past and they were now feeling cheated. Bansi Lal (65) claimed, “I had purchased a piece of land by spending Rs 2.5 lakh about 20 years ago. I have an agreement copy that was signed by the seller who later died. I had no idea that my building will be demolished. Even many of my articles got damaged during the demolition drive as the MC had not served any notice to me for vacating the land.”

Another man, Charanjit Singh claimed that he had documents of a plot along Buddha Nullah. But, thr MC officials marked it as an encroachment.

Violations ignored in past

Questions were also being raised over the role of the MC as to why it did not take action when encroachments were being raised along Buddha Nullah in the past. Residents of a nearby area also demanded that the MC should construct a road on the vacated land along the Nullah to avoid chances of encroachments in future.

Meanwhile, officials denied the allegations and claimed that the people were earlier asked to vacate the land. The MC’s assistant town planner, MS Bedi, said, “We had earlier marked red sign on encroachments and people were asked to vacate the land. We have demolished around 70-80 encroachments.”

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