After residents’ wrath, MC stops demolition drive

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 19

The Municipal Corporation (MC) of Bathinda on Tuesday stopped its demolition drive after the wrath of people.

Residents of the Mansa road area on Tuesday morning reached the MC office. On Monday, a team of the civic body went to the area for demolishing illegal buildings.

The residents headed by councillor Rajwinder Singh Sidhu met Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Davinder Jaura. They said the ATP had assured them that the matter would be discussed with the MC Commissioner and till then, no action would be taken.

Later, the irked residents addressed a press conference in which they alleged that they were deliberately targeted because they lived on the outskirts of the city. They said had the MC demolished any building in the city, it would have faced more protests.

The residents also threatened to oppose the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections if its leaders did not stand with them on this issue.

Ranjit Singh Jalal, Col Jagjit Singh Mann (retd), Kulwant Singh Brar and Kashmir Singh Aulakh, all residents of the Mansa road area, said there plots were registered in their name and there was no illegal encroachment. They added that some of the locals had even paid the required fee and others were also ready, but the MC did not approve their maps as these came in the restricted area.

They said if it was the criteria, action should be taken against the cancer diagnostic centre and a big private hospital, which are also situated in the restricted area.

A showroom situated on the road also did not get its map approved, but no action was taken, they alleged.

“If it is the restricted area, how did the MC laid the sewerage connection, water pipes and installed street lights? If the state government is so adamant, it should acquire the restricted area from the ammunition depot of the Army and give them compensation,” the residents said.

The residents said they had gone to Finance Minister Manpreet Badal’s office, where they met his OSD. “We apprised him of the whole issue and he had assured us that they would look into it,” they added.

ATP Jaura said, “On Tuesday, the MC did not carry out the demolition drive. Residents of the Mansa road area met me in the morning on the issue. They told me that their case is pending in the Supreme Court. There are very less illegal buildings in the city as compared to cities such as Ludhiana.”