‘Illegal’ security tents: Beant,Bitta,Badal lead the race

A fresh survey conducted by the Chandigarh Administration has revealed that 37 such unauthorised tents have been set up outside the official residences of politicians,bureaucrats,police officers and a senior lawyer — by encroaching upon the land belonging to the Municipal Corporation.

The maximum number of “unauthorised” tents have been found outside the official residence of M S Bitta,Chairman of All India Terrorist Front and former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. While eight tents are pitched outside Bitta’s residence in Sector 39,a similar number of uanuthorised structures for securitymen could also be seen outside the residence of Beant Singh in Sector 5.

While five such tents can be located outside the official residence of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,two tents have been set up outside the residence of Punjab Additional Director General of Police Narinder Sharma.

Two “unauthorised” tents can be found outside the residence of former Tamil Nadu Governor S S Barnala in Sector 39 as well. Moreover,while one such tent has been set up outside the residence of senior lawyer G K Chatrath in Sector 15,there is one security tent outside the residence of retired Director General of Police D S Mangat.

Three such tents have been set up outside company headquarters,VIP security,Punjab in Sector 35. Further,one tent each can be found outside the houses of Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Officer B C Gupta and K S Ghuman,Commander General (Home Guard).

The survey,which was conducted on October 28,was the result of the directions issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in which it had asked the UT Administration to submit a fresh report with regard to unauthorised security tents. The Administration will soon submit the report to the high court.

Meanwhile,the judges have decided to provide service quarters to securitymen inside the premises of their official residences. A decision to this effect,taken by the Building Committee of the Punjab and Haryana High Court (on the administrative side),was conveyed by Acting Chief Justice M M Kumar on October 19 during a resumed hearing of a PIL emanating from a suo motu notice taken by the high court on a news item that had highlighted the issue of illegal security tents. Justice Ranjit Singh of the high court had taken suo motu notice of the news item on July 16,2009.

Last year,the Chandigarh Administration had told the high court through an affidavit that of the total 86 illegal tents,55 were pitched “illegally” by security personnel of the Punjab and Haryana High Court judges and politicians.

The high court had then asked the Administration to file a fresh affidavit in this regard and to seek instructions from its chief engineer,who is also a member of the Building Committee. The committee comprises high court judges and officials of the UT Administration.

Amicus curiae in the case,Advocate Aalok Jagga,had also requested the court to take stern action against the bureaucrats and officers who,other than having pitched illegal tents,have encroached upon MC land.