Faridkot MC in soup for not removing encroachments

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, April 11

The Faridkot Municipal Committee has landed in trouble after the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued it a notice to face contempt of court proceeding for not removing encroachments on public property in the town.

The notice was issued on April 4 after the Aware Consumers Society, a voluntary organisation in the town, approached the High Court last month for violating court’s direction on removal of encroachments.

The High Court had passed this order on October 4, 2008, in a writ petition of 2003, claimed Mangat Arora, legal advisor for the voluntary organisation in Faridkot.

Furnishing vivid detail of many encroachments in the town to the High Court and providing the list of many reminders and notices that the society sent to the municipal authorities in Faridkot to remove the encroachments in the past one year, the voluntary organisation initiated contempt of court proceedings against the MC authorities.

The organisation also provided the details of many prime public properties under illegal possession of political leaders. Due to political connections of the wrongdoers, the municipal authorities dared not take any legal action for removal of these encroachments, alleged the contempt petition in the court.

Taking cognisance of this petition, the High Court has summoned the Executive Officer of the Faridkot Municipal Committee on April 24.

Poonam Bhatnagar, Executive Officer, Faridkot, said the MC had already started the process of removing the illegal encroachments and notices had been served to many wrongdoers.