Two weeks after being sealed,house on MC land stands furnished

The building is coming up on land meant for a park. Interestingly,two more houses are also being constructed on the same lane and the 2,344-square yard park stands nearly totally encroached.

On the complaint of a local resident Onkar Singh more than two years ago,the then Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) chairman Paramjit Singh Sibia had asked the municipal corporation to demolish the structure,the construction on which had just started. After Onkar’s complaint,the MC had stated that the area in question is a private property. But the LIT,who had handed over this area to the MC,categorically stated that as per the plan of colony,the construction is being done on a park.

While the then MC commissioner S K Sharma had got the construction demolished,work on the building started again about a year ago. Following this,Onkar complained again to the MC authorities and later filed a writ petition in the high court stating that a public park is being blatantly encroached. Now,while one house nears completion,two others stand partially built.

Municipal Town Planner (MTP) Hemant Batra said: “I am so busy with court cases these days and have no idea when the locks were broken. I will get the matter checked with the assistant town planners (ATPs) of the area.”

Onkar said: “The work inside the house is still going on and the MC authorities refuse to take action despite court’s instructions to demolish it completely. It seems there is more of self-interest involved than public interest.” The residents of the area too demanded a strict action by the civic authorities. S S Chana,one of the residents of the area,has written to the MC commissioner stating that the town planning wing is making Ludhiana a “concrete jungle”.