Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Kharar, march 21: Construction of unauthorised residential and commercial colonies is on the rise in Kharar and its surrounding areas. While these colonies are causing great financial loss to the government agencies, colonisers are making a killing out of it.
Various colonies with different names are coming up on an area of about 100 acre of prime land, reliable sources disclosed. The names of the colonies are also finalised by the colonisers on their own without any prior permission of the concerned government agencies, which is mandatory for the purpose.
The fact that they have been duped, dawn upon them the unsuspecting buyers usually after they have made thier initial payment for the plot. Soon, he comes to know that the colony had been built without the permission of the Municipa Council.
Colonisers neither approach the concerned government agencies for taking permission for their proposed colony under the Punjab Colonization Act nor they deposit the development charges for the purpose.
They provide facilities like drinking water and sewerage in their colonies by illegally connecting the pipes with the main lines of the water supply and the sewerage system. This leads to heavy revenue loss for the municipal council.
Apart from this, encroachments and constructions are in full swing in the township. The concerned authorities, are however, turning a blind eye to the whole affair.
The local municipal councillor Om Parkash Aggarwal, who has always been on the forefront in the fight against encroachments and illegal constructions has expressed concern on the issue. He has complained that a local resident, who had allegedly encroached upon a major chunk of government land here recently, had threatened him with dire consequences in front of the MC authorities at the MC office here on February 15, but no action has been initiated in the matter despite a written complaint lodged with the local police.
The complaint, demanding registration of a police case against the accused, was signed by all the local municipal councillors as well as MC chief and forwarded by the MC executive officer.
Aggarwal alleged that in the absence of any action, the encroachers were threatening the opposing municipal councillors with dire consequences. He has sought a high-level probe into the whole affair and strict legal action against the encroaches as well as the concerned guilty officials.
It may be recalled that a former president of the Kharar unit of the BJP and former sarpanch of nearby Nayashahar village, Ehushwant Rai Gigga, was assaulted by a group of village youths on Sunday night over raising his voice against the unauthorised encroachments on government land in the area. Aggarwal apprehends another attack on him.
