Residents told not to buy plots in illegal colonies

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 5

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu has appealed to people to avoid purchasing plots/houses in illegal colonies as the developers of these colonies have failed to get their colonies regularised. 

Sandhu said they have sent a list of 100 colonisers to the police to get cases registered against them.

A survey was conducted to identify illegal colonies in areas under the MC. The colonisers of a total of 128 illegal colonies had applied for regularisation during 2013-14, according to the building branch ATPs.

However, the MC had recommended FIR against colonisers of 78 illegal colonies for not fulfilling the conditions and also requested the district administration to stop the registry of plots in these colonies, the Mayor said.

Sandhu said: “The government has introduced a policy for the regularisation of unauthorised colonies, but colonisers are not coming forward. The ATP concerned have also sent notices to colonisers to get their colonies regularised, but the colonisers did not file reply.”

“We have written to the Police Commissioner to register FIRs against colonisers of 27 colonies in Zone A, 36 colonies in Zone B, 9 colonies in Zone C and 28 colonies in Zone D. We have also written to the DC to instruct the staff concerned to stop registry of plots in these colonies. People should not buy plots in illegal colonies as the civic body will not provide facilities such as water supply, sewerage, roads, street lights and other basic amenities in these areas,” Sandhu said.

The deadline to apply for the regularisation will end next month. Questions are also being raised over the role of MC officials concerned, as they failed to act when the illegal colonies were being developed. City-based activists had also demanded from the government to fix the responsibility of the officials concerned, but to no avail.

Action against defaulters 

• The Municipal Corporation on Saturday took action against seven colonies in different parts of the city. Assistant Town Planner at Zone A, Mohan Singh, said they dismantled two colonies on Bahadur Ke Road.
• ATP at Zone B Pardeep Sehgal said they dismantled roads and sewerage in two illegal colonies at different locations under Zone B. One illegal colony was being developed near the main garbage dump at Tajpur Road, while another colony was being developed at Kakka Road. 
• ATP at Zone D Vijay Kumar said they took action against three illegal colonies on Barewal Road, Ludhiana; Kunj Vihar and Rajauri Garden on Saturday. Roads and other structures were also dismantled at other illegal colonies.