Kamla Nehru Market encroachments: Caught between history and civic body
As per the action plan, MC has to remove 91 encroachments from Kamla Nehru Market.
The land on which the market stands today belonged to the Railways and had railway quarters. (Source: Gurmeet Singh)
Bizarre is the case of Kamla Nehru Market, a small shopping spot in front of Ludhiana railway station, which is caught between its glorious history and the Municipal Corporation.
As per the action plan submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, MC has to remove 91 encroachments from Kamla Nehru Market, where almost two feet extra space has been acquired by each shop.
However, while MC calls it encroachments, the shopkeepers term it an “insult to the glorious past” through which they got these shops.
As per the shopkeepers, their ancestors were refugees from Pakistan who came to India after the Partition. The land on which the market stands today belonged to the Railways and had railway quarters. But it was after Jawahar Lal Nehru visited the market that he requested the Railways to give the land to refugees so that they could start earning their livelihood. However, the market was named after Nehru’s wife Kamla Nehru much later after 1970s.
Ashwani Bali, president of the Kamla Nehru Market Association, said, “Our ancestors told us that this was railway land which was given on mercy to refugees from Pakistan. It was first time in history that the Railways gave its land to Municipal Council and later when Ludhiana Municipal Corporation came into existence, they constructed shops and sold them to us formally. There was two-three feet space behind every shop which was left out and illegal activities like drugs and theft used to go on there. We shopkeepers covered the space and now MC calls them encroachments.”
Bali added that “despite their offer to MC to take price of those extra feet, MC is not ready to budge”. “Those extra feet are of no use for anyone since it is at the back of our shops. We are ready to pay a suitable price to MC but they are not agreeing and terming it encroachments,” said Bali, 59, whose family too shifted from Pakistan.
The issue has taken a political colour with Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria and Congress west MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu too supporting the shopkeepers. But as per orders of the High Court and affidavit submitted by MC, it is part of ‘encroachments’ and action can be taken anytime now as September 30 is the next hearing date in HC.
Kamaljeet Kaur, assistant town planner (headquarters), told Newsline, “The fact remains that it is MC land illegally in possession of shopkeepers. MC sold them shops, not land behind it. Structures built on it will be razed.”
She added that the owners had even encroached upon space in front of shops by displaying goods.
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