Congress leaders,including Punjab Congress secretary Varinder Sharma and district president Arun Walia,have submitted a memorandum to the chairman of Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) against the proposal to shift the residents of Quazi Mandi locality to carve out a new residential colony in the area. The JIT has proposed to set up a colony on 130 acres,with will include the Quazi Mandi a locality inhabited by rag-pickers and scrap dealers for over five decades. The JIT proposes a 120-foot wide road from Do Moria Pul railway overbridge to the National Highway-1,which will pass through this Quazi Mandi. The colony will come up on both sides of this road. If the JIT goes ahead with its plans,the poor people of Quazi Mandi will be displaced,which will be a grave injustice, said Varinder Sharma. He accused the JIT of adopting a pick-and-choose policy,alleging that the land adjoining the mandi that belonged to certain influential people had been kept out of the plan. JIT chairman and Akali leader B S Neelamahal said though there was a plan to build a colony,the displaced people would be either rehabilitated in the same area or given a better alternative place and compensation. He said the proposed road would be of great help to the people of Jalandhar as it would be a few minutes drive for them to hit the NH-1 from the city.
