Survey of India begins satellite mapping

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, April 13

To resolve the Abhaypur-Baltana border dispute, the Survey of India has started satellite mapping of the area as the district revenue officials of Panchkula and Mohali have submitted their site maps.

According to information, the work of demarcation of the disputed site had slowed down as revenue officials of Panchkula seem to be non-serious about the project in view of the Lok Sabha elections.

Sources said the Haryana Government was yet to deposit Rs 14.75 lakh, its share of the cost of the project, to the Survey of India.

While directing Mohali and Panchkula districts to submit their reports within two months, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had asked them to deposit Rs 29.50 lakh with the Survey of India as the cost of the project. The cost of the project was to be shared equally by both the districts. While the Mohali deposited its share of Rs 14.75 lakh with the Survey of India, the Panchkula administration has not done it yet.

It is pertinent to mention here that five meetings of revenue officials of Mohali and Panchkula districts have been held during the past two months. Every time, Panchkula revenue officials sought the records of the land of 1954 from their Punjab counterparts, but the latter failed to submit the same.

The controversy over the disputed land arose when a Baltana resident, Bhagwant Singh, and others filed a petition in the High Court after the Panchkula Municipal Corporation constructed a boundary wall near the CID office. The High Court then summoned PUDA and HSVP officials. Recently, the High Court had directed the financial commissioners of the two states to form district-level committees headed by their respective deputy commissioners to resolve the dispute.

Rampal Kataria, District Revenue Officer, HSVP, said they as well as their Mohali counterparts had already submitted their site plans to the Survey of India and the national agency had already started the work by setting up pillars at the site. He said the Survey of India would demarcate the area through satellite mapping and the project would be completed soon. He said they have already written to the district administration for sanctioning the payment to be submitted to the Survey of India.

The controversy

The controversy over the disputed land arose when a Baltana resident, Bhagwant Singh, and others filed a petition in the High Court after the Panchkula Municipal Corporation constructed a boundary wall near the CID office. The High Court then summoned PUDA and HSVP officials. Recently, the High Court had directed the finance commissioners of the two states to form district-level committees headed by their respective deputy commissioners to resolve the dispute.