No action against LIG flat violations

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, August 17

Even after serving notices to as many as 107 allottees of LIG (lower income group) flats in Dugri Urban Estate Phase-II for illegal change of land use (commercial use of residential property) some nine months ago (in November 2018), the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) has developed cold feet, when it came to taking action against violators under the provisions of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995.

GLADA authorities have been sitting over the mater even after several months now for the reasons known to them as the Housing and Urban Development Department issued clear cut instructions through its memo (dated March 12, 2019) to GLADA authorities for taking action, as per rules, against the violators under intimation to the government. It was on a complaint filed by the Council of RTI Activists president Rohit Sabharwal with the Punjab Government that GLADA had got a spot survey conducted by the field staff about the allegations of illegal change of land use and violation of the terms and conditions of allotment of LIG flats.

As a follow up to the survey report, notices were issued to 107 allottees of LIG flats to discontinue commercial use of residential flats within 15 days and appear personally at the GLADA office to confirm compliance of the directions.

In a fresh complaint lodged with the Chief Minister and the Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Punjab, on August 16, Sabharwal alleged that even after nine months of the issuance of notices to violators, no further action has been taken in this regard by GLADA.

The complainant has charged the fields staff of GLADA with taking ‘protection money’ from the owners of LIG flats and pushing the grave violations to the back burner, thereby failing to perform their bounden duty.

Sabharwal has demanded a probe by the Vigilance wing so that ‘conniving’ employees/ officials of GLADA could be exposed and proceeded against under rules and directions to take follow up actions as per law against the violators without any further delay.