Improvement Trust fails to act on CM’s directions

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, January 3

Indefinite wait of allottees of residential plots in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar colony of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust to construct their dream homes seems to be endless as the pocket of 5.5 acre land has neither been cleared of encroachment, nor has any development work been initiated even after the directions from the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in this regard.

Taking cognisance of a complaint lodged by 114 allottees of residential plots in D Block of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, the CMO had issued directions to the LIT Chairman to got the chunk of land vacated from unlawful occupants and take up work for providing basic amenities so that the allottees could take up construction of their houses without any further delay. The LIT was asked to submit an ‘action taken report’ by December 31, 2018.

A deputation of the allottees, most of them senior citizens, had met LIT Chairman PS Gill in his office on December 26, 2018, to apprise him of their plight resulting from their inability to take up construction work of their houses due to the land still being under encroachment and lack of basic urban amenities such as roads, water supply and sewerage network.

Narrating their tale of woes during the long wait of 30 years for allotment of alternative residential plots and almost three years since alternative plots were allotted to them (in 2016), the allottees, Gian Kaur, an octogenarian, Kusum Lata, a national awardee principal, Verna Rani (63 years) and Davinder Kumar, a retired principal, said most of them were in the evening of their life and the endless wait for development of the pocket of land where residential plots measuring 125 sq yd each, were allotted to them, had made their life miserable.

“Most of us have made payment towards the cost of land, either in full or parts, and in many cases sale deeds have also been executed. But we are still unable to commence construction of our houses because land is under encroachment and basic amenities are still to be provided,” said the allottees.

The LIT Chairman said the issue of delay in taking up development work on 5.5 acre piece of land at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar had been brought to his notice and necessary instructions had already been issued to the officials concerned to clear the encroachment on the said land, if any, and start work for providing basic amenities as per the demands of the allottees.