Working women hope against hope

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, April 26

The dying hope of women to have a working women hostel in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar Colony has come alive with the Punjab and Haryana High Court admitting a PIL (10017 of 2018) and issuing a notice of motion to the state of Punjab for May 5, 2018.

The petition filed by city-based RTI activist Baljit Singh has submitted before the court that LIThad allotted 9,860 square yard land to the Indian Red Cross Society at a concessional rate of 25 per square yard in January 1979 for the construction of a working women hostel in BRS Nagar. The project was financed by the Centre and the building of the hostel to accommodate 150 working women was completed in 1981.

“However, in the wake of bad law and order situation prevailing at that time, the building was given to the CRPF and after the exit of the para-military force, it was occupied by the 3rd India Reserve Battalion, which continued to pay rent to the Ludhiana branch of the Red Cross. The tenant (IRB) illegally sub-let some portion of the building to HDFC Bank for an ATM and for a canteen open to the public,” the plea said.

The petitioner said due to the violation of lease agreement, the Red Cross Society issued a legal notice to the IRB, while LIT authorities also issued a notice in 1999 for illegal change of land use. In the meantime, the IRB defaulted in payment of rent and also ignored repeated show-cause notices and legal notice issued by the Red Cross Society to vacate the building, so that it could be used for its intended purpose.

Baljit Singh, a retired civil engineer, who has been pursuing this matter for the past several years with authorities concerned without evoking any response, pleaded with the court that directions be issued to the respondents (IRB) to vacate the building, so that it could be used for the intended purpose of accommodating working women in the city.

Several women organisations had also been pressing the authorities to get the building vacated, so that it could be put to proper use for the purpose it was constructed for because ever since its construction in 1981-82 the building had been under occupation of paramilitary force (CRPF) for nearly 20 years and thereafter with the IRB for more than 16 years.