One year on, no meeting of anti-encroachment panel

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 15

While no meeting of the anti-encroachment monitoring committee has been held for the past more than one year, the Municipal Corporation is yet to finalise it’s next meeting. In a reply to an RTI application, the MC has informed the applicant that the Municipal Commissioner has sought legal advice from experts on holding a meeting.

The last meeting of the committee was held on November 10, 2017. A member of the committee had blamed officials for backing the encroachers. After the meeting, a few officials had requested the authorities concerned to not organise such meetings in the future, sources said.

A member of the committee, Rohit Sabharwal, said the committee was formed on the instructions of the Deputy Commissioner. The civic body was supposed to hold regular meetings of the committee. However, in non-compliance to the directions of the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, no meeting of the committee has been conducted by the officials concerned for the past many months, he said.

Assistant Town Planner (Headquarters) SS Bindra said the civic body had sought advice from the legal experts on holding anti-encroachment monitoring committee meetings. Bindra, however, said such meetings were helpful to monitor encroachments in the city.