PUDA to nail illegal colonisers

ROOPNAGAR, May 31: Delay in registration of FIRs against unauthorised colonisers in the district has now forced the Punjab Urban Planning an...

ROOPNAGAR, May 31: Delay in registration of FIRs against unauthorised colonisers in the district has now forced the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority PUDA to prosecute at least 25 violators on its own.

Sources in the PUDA office at SAS Nagar revealed that owing to tardy pace of investigation against the violators of the Punjab Apartment and Properties Act by the police, the department has decided to file criminal cases through its panel of advocates in various courts.

A sanction to this effect was made by the chief administrator PUDA about a month back. This follows a recommendation made by the officials of the regulatory wing of the PUDA. They accused the district police of delay in registration of FIRs against 25 such violators during the past two years.

According to the PUDA officials, these colonisers were violating all norms, while constructing colonies in Mohali zone, which comprises the entire Roopnagar district, besides parts of Patiala and Fatehgarh Saheb districts the periphery of Chandigarh. Though at least 100 such instances have come to light, formal complaints with the police have been made in not more than 25 cases.

The PUDA officials disclosed that the rest of the cases are still under investigation. An official pleading anonymity said: 8220;Not a single FIR was registered during the past two years.8221; The possibility of these colonisers being influential people is not being discounted by the PUDA.

On being contacted, Additional Chief Administrator Seema Jain confirmed that the PUDA has now accorded sanction to prosecute these violators. 8220;We are already in the process of moving various courts,8221; she said.

Even as the sources say the move was necessitated due to laxity on part of the police, SSP Ranbir Singh Khatra vehemently denied the charge saying: 8220;The cases are being registered without a hitch.8221; He added that any delay on their part was due to lack of co-operation from PUDA.

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To prove his point, the SSP said that despite their asking PUDA to furnish documents such as revenue records or ownership certificates, no evidence was being furnished to establish the offense.

So far the police have received complaints against 39 violators of these, 10 colonisers have already been booked since 1996. Among these, six are from SAS Nagar, with one each from Kurali, Kharar, Nangal and Roopnagar.

However, the PUDA officials claim that these cases were reported long back and the remaining 29 are still pending for more than two years.General Manager Regulatory PUDA Hardev Singh asserts:8220;It is the duty of the police to dig out revenue records, not ours.8221;