Illegal colonies grab PUDA land worth 8 cr

SAS NAGAR, Sept 6: Four unauthorised colonies have sprawled over some 12.5 acres of prime land belonging to Punjab Planning and Urban Dev...

SAS NAGAR, Sept 6: Four unauthorised colonies have sprawled over some 12.5 acres of prime land belonging to Punjab Planning and Urban Development Authority PUDA. The land is worth about Rs 8 crore.

The biggest and the oldest of these colonies is the Guru Nanak Colony in Sector 49. This 20-year-old colony occupies 7 acres and is a typical slum 8211; dirty, disorderly and congested. In this case, it8217;s an interstate eyesore 8211; about two thirds of it are in the UT and another third, with about 3,500 shanties, is in SAS Nagar. Entry to the slum is from the township.

The second largest colony is Sector 718217;s Jhoota Kut Colony. Fifteen years in the making, Jhoota Kut8217;s approximately 200 unauthorised structures are spread over three acres. According to sources, PUDA acquired the land where the colony stands long ago and paid compensation to the residentswho moved the court which ordered status quo.

Third on the list is the Sector 48 colony. This is a new settlement, just three years old and still comparatively small occupying 1.7 acres; no sanitation facilities and electricity via kundis only, but life goes on.

An even more recent colony is the one near the crermation ground in Industrial Area, Phase I. This small cluster spread over an area of half an acre got its start about a year ago. The inhabitants formerly resided in the Phase III-A colony which PUDA demolished last year. They get electricity via kundi connections and sanitaryt conditions no better than the others.

At one time or the other, all these colonies have been razed but it8217;s one thing to remove a colony and quite another to keep it removed. Political interests have a way of seeing to it that the colonies spring up again. quot;Some land should be earmarked but its ownership should remain with the government,quot; a source opined.

PUDA Additional Chief Administrator SAS Nagar Depinder Singh, on being contacted, said, quot;The colonies are unauthorised and we trying to vacate the precious land as soon as possible. We are talking to the squatters and trying to rehabilitate them.quot;

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quot;Unauthorised?!quot; exclaimed Guru Nanak colony resident Ram Jeet. quot;How can it be called unauthorised? We have ration cards, electricity connections, voter identity cards, three ration depots, six water tanks and a Government Primary School here. This place comes under SAS Nagar Municipal Council Ward umber 21quot;. He admitted that the colony stands on PUDA land and PUDA officials met a group of residents to talk about the issue recently. He said the colony residents had agreed to shift only if they are given a permanent site with all the amenities. Other colony pardhans have expressed the same views in this regard.