Gurdaspur DC acts tough on illegal colonisers

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, April 7

Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner (DC) has tightened the noose around illegal colonisers by ordering the Municipal Committee’s (MC’s) Executive Officer (EO) to explain the recent spurt of illegal colonies.

DC Mohammad Ishfaq also took cognisance of how a letter written by EO Ashok Kumar to the Director (Local Bodies), with a copy marked to him, seeking action against around 20 Gurdaspur-based colonisers disappeared.

Guilty won’t be spared

if there are any irregularities, action will be taken against officials and colonisers. The guilty will not be spared as the state exchequer has been defrauded. —Mohammad Ishfaq, Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner

The EO had written the letter on July 15 last year, but it has yet to reach the Director (Local Bodies). Copies were also marked to the DC, ADC (Urban Local Bodies) and the SDM. None of these three officers received the letter.

The Punjab Government has been reportedly defrauded of revenue running into crores as these colonisers never deposited the mandatory fees for regularising their colonies.

Sources say the DC’s action was on the cards ever since the new dispensation took over in Chandigarh. EO Ashok Kumar claimed he did not remember if any such letter existed or not. Executive Engineer of the MC, Rajesh Sahni, said he would take the issue to its logical conclusion.