Sangrur administration razes encroachments, labourers cry foul

While the district administration claims it as a major success in getting prime land worth Rs 35 crore vacated, traders in grain market hail it as a welcome development saying it is good riddance from encroachers who spread filth all around, the affected families have a tale of woe to narrate.

It was a virtual Latur-like scene at the three acre piece of land in the main grain market where several of the affected families were still collecting bricks and other leftovers from the place. At the farther end of the Mandi there were tractors at work, levelling the small chunk of land where once stood several kiosks which once did brisk business.

Malik Ram, aged about 50 years, was in tears when he said that the administration had given them just 12 hours notice on the evening of September 22 to clear the place. Rejecting their plea for a two-day period so that they could pack off, he said, the authorities got into action at 6 a.m. on September 23. Working as a farm labourer, he said the administration ignored their plea when they sought more time in view of the heavy rain that day.

Rohi Ram and Pargat, both of whom are working as daily wagers, said that they had valid ration cards, and were registered voters. They had been living at the site for over 15 years now. “It was almost a bolt from the blue as the administration got into action so suddenly. In fact, we had been here even before the mandi was developed,” they said.

Sushil Kumar, who is related to an ahrtiya in the mandi, said he had only last week completed the construction of his dwelling unit and spent about Rs 50,000 on it. “Now, unfortunately, my house has been razed only a week after I had moved into the new unit,” he lamented. He claimed that some of the ahrtiyas in the mandi had themselves encouraged him to build a house here.

Sher Singh, an ex-sarpanch of Rogla village, about 6 km from Dirba, said that the administration had acted ruthlessly in pulling down the pucca houses of the poor who had been living at the site for almost two decades. He alleged that several residents were rounded up by the police and detained for several hours before being let off. Two youth corroborated his contention saying they were picked up by the police and released later. He alleged several pigs had died in the clearing operation and household articles of several families damaged because of the incessant rains.

Sham Lal, president of the Ahrtiyas Association of Dirba, said that the encroachers had made the mandi a veritable hell. They had kundi connections, used the grain market yard as open latrine, indulged in pilferage of foodgrains from the mandi and anti-social activities.

The traders had been pressing the authorities to have the area cleared of the encroachers for several years. They had even moved the colonisation department which reportedly issued eviction orders, he said.

Maghar Singh, a former president of the Notified Area Committee (NAC) of Dirba, said that the committee had a few years back earmarked about three acres of land to provide alternative sites to the encroachers but they refused to shift from here.

He alleged that most of the encroachers had their own houses in adjoining villages, including Chichrwal, Kaurian, Munshiwal and Karial.

The affected families, however, vehemently denied this saying that they had moved their luggage to farm houses and fields where they were presently working.

Some of the traders alleged that the encroachers had been demanding money to vacate auctioned land which had been occupied by the encroachers.

Anirudh Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner, vehemently denied use of force to have the area cleared of the encroachers. He said that due notice had been served on them and no alternative sites needed to be provided to them since most of them had own houses in adjoining villages.

Tiwari said that in fact most of the encroachers had been living here in the hope that they would get some sort of compensation or alternative sites if shifted out. Since most of them had moved voluntarily, the administration did not have to use any force, he added.

Parneet Bhardwaj, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and Pritpal Singh Thind, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sunam, who supervised the entire operation said that the exercise was peaceful and no force had to be used. Some traders had even arranged for tractor trollies for the encroachers to help them transport their belongings.