GLADA issues public notice to 114 illegal colonies around city

The colonisers have been given one month’s notice. After that they will be prosecuted,which can cause up to three years’ imprisonment and fine of Rs 10,000 and the colonies will be demolished.

Confirming the development,GLADA Chief Administrator K S Pannu said,“We have also sought more powers from the state government which means amendment of the PAPRA Act.” According to the GLADA official,they need powers to direct the concerned departments not to give electricity connections,sewerage facilities,etc as well as powers to direct revenue department to stop land registries in illegal colonies.

“As of now,we have powers only to get FIRs registered and thousands of cases are going on where the outcome is very slow,” explained Pannu. He added that more than 1,000 illegal colonies have mushroomed in different districts of Punjab.

However,GLADA has noted that a large number of people are setting up residential colonies on agriculture land without seeking permission for ‘change of land use’ and also without obtaining any license from the competent authorities. Such people do not provide proper space for public utilities in these unauthorised colonies as they have been developed without getting permission for ‘change of land use’ from agricultural to residential and without paying the necessary external development charges and other fees to the government,

The Government is,therefore,not duty-bound to supply services to such colonies. These are termed concrete slums,Pannu said categorically. He also appealed to the general public not to invest their hard earned money to buy plots in such unauthorised colonies as these may be demolished any time.