‘Regularise houses outside lal dora’

MEMBERS of the Sangharsh Committee,comprising representatives from 22 villages in Chandigarh,on Thursday demanded that houses outside the lal dora be regularised and adequate compensation be provided for the acquired land. On May 22,villagers will hold a rally in this regard in Daria village. Villagers at Khuda Ali sher have been sitting on a dharna for the past few weeks,demanding regularisation of houses. Thereafter,the committee was constituted.

Addressing mediapersons,patron of the committee,Sadhu Singh,said: “Land has been taken from the villagers at very low prices and then sold at higher prices to private builders. The same thing is happening all over the country. While farmers in Punjab are getting Rs 2 crore or more an acre for the land the government is acquiring,in Chandigarh,the compensation is quite low.”

The members also questioned the notices for demolishing land outside lal dora,stating that the Administration should have taken note while the houses were being constructed. Demanding that the area where the houses have been built be demarcated and regularised,they claimed that panchayats would take the responsibility of ensuring that no further construction takes place in the area.

Chairman of the market committee of the Grain Market,Jhujhar Singh,said the committee has welcomed the decision of the UT Administration against handing over villages under its control to the Municipal Corporation. In the villages that have been transferred to the civic body,conditions were pathetic and not much development has taken place,he added.