Structures built on highways after ’95 to face demolition

Chandigarh Newsline has been highlighting how the temporary and permanent encroachments on either side of the highways were posing danger to commuters besides eating into prime government land.

Taking cognisance of the matter,Mohali Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh Mand had pulled up the departments concerned to take immediate effective steps to free the highways of illegal occupation.

The Public Works department (PWD) has identified a total of 302 encroachments in the form of concrete structures and illegal passages within the radius of 30 metres on both sides of NH-21 and NH-95 outside the municipal limits of Mohali,Kharar,Kurali and Morinda under Mohali and Ropar districts.

Nearly 102 encroachments have been identified on the 7 kilometre stretch of NH-21 from Mohali to Kurali (excluding municipal limits) and 200 on the 23 kilometre stretch of NH-95 from Kharar to Khamano (excluding municipal limits).

Leading private professional colleges,housing projects,restaurants,eating joints,marriage palaces,places of worship,filling stations,police posts and even some government institutions are among the violators of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act,1995.

Replying to a notice issued by PWD Executive Engineer Karnail Singh,who is designated as the competent authority under the Act,around 240 encroachers have submitted their replies till January 20,which was last date fixed for the violators to remove their encroachments or justify their structures/passages identified as encroachments with valid documentary evidence.

“All structures and passages built after the Act came into being in 1995 would face demolition,” said Singh,adding that demolition orders would be passed by February 2.  

Those,who would not remove the encroachments on their own,would face penal action besides bearing the cost of demolition.