VIPs care little about building violations and privacy

CHANDIGARH, Dec 13: In a city which is rapidly giving in to encroachments and illegal constructions, some violations of land use and buil...

CHANDIGARH, Dec 13: In a city which is rapidly giving in to encroachments and illegal constructions, some violations of land use and building by-laws on security grounds in and around the official residences of chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab aren’t much of a surprise. Drive down Uttar Marg, from Sukhna Lake towards the Punjab Engineering College, and you’ll hit a metal barricade reminiscent of the terrorism days. Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal lives in a bungalow on the left here.

Some years ago, vehicles passed freely from right in front of the CM’s house. Then the spectre of terrorism in Punjab forced restrictions on movement and an elaborate security apparatus cordoned off the area. Today, despite a significant improvement in the security situation which should have eased up the strangle, the road continues to be blocked.

Also, another road dividing the Bougainvillaea Garden and the southern wall of the Haryana CM’s house has been closed for good with a usual gate and allied structures on a green-belt area. Says the UT Chief Architect and Urban Planning Secretary, S.K. Midha: “Any construction on the green-belt area is illegal and unauthorised.”

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However, neither the Town Planning officials nor the Estate Office remember sending encroachment notices to anyone. Nor can they confirm whether permission was taken for raising these structures. “It must have been done for security reasons,” says an official. But life has become difficult for those living in the area. Laments a harried next-door neighbour of the Haryana chief minister, Madhu Bains, who has to make a detour to enter her own house: “It is an absolute hell. Not only have they blocked two important roads and raised structures, the security guards keep marching up and down in front of our house when they are not lounging around and staring at us as if we pose a threat to the CM.”

The worst part, says Bains, is that no one listens to us. “I tried to explain to senior Haryana Police officials that my husband is a serving officer in the Army. We are no hooligans who have to be guarded against, but no one cares about our privacy.” Reminiscences another Sector 3 resident: “Once upon a time, we could drive down straight to the Chandigarh Club on this road.”

Similarly, regular visitors to Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal’s residence reckon that the public road in front of his house has been blocked for “CM’s use only”. Also, several rooms have been built inside the compound to accommodate security personnel and waiting visitors, in violation of the building by-laws.

Balbir Singh, SP (Security), Chandigarh Police, says that many roads in this area were blocked when terrorism was at its peak in the ’80s. While some of them, including a couple in Sector 3, were gradually opened for the public, there is no plan to open the rest in the near future, says an official.