Zirakpur society smells of neglect
A visit to Bollywood Heights at Peer Muchalla, near Sector 20 in Panchkula, brought to fore a gulf between the residents and the authorities. Though claiming to be the most-planned society of the tricity with the best landscape view, residents are uninformed as to where their association, Bollywood Heights Allottees Association, could be registered. Prateek Walia Reports.
A visit to Bollywood Heights at Peer Muchalla, near Sector 20 in Panchkula, brought to fore a gulf between the residents and the authorities.
Though claiming to be the most-planned society of the tricity with the best landscape view, residents are uninformed as to where their association, Bollywood Heights Allottees Association, could be registered.
The association members alleged that they had been visiting Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and the Zirakpur municipal corporation (MC) for the past one year, but all in vain.
“We we approached the GMADA authorities, they asked us to get in touch with the Zirakpur MC, who in turn said that the Cooperative Housing Society deals with the registration of societies,” said Achhar Singh, president, Bollywood Heights Allottees Association.
“According to the Punjab Apartment Act, 1995, post-occupancy, residents have to constitute an allotees’ association to look after the society’s internal matters. This association needs to be registered with the local body, but neither GMADA nor the Zirakpur MC is aware as to who has to register it,” said PL Mishra, Class-1 government officer (retd) and a senior resident of the society.
To ascertain the competent authority for the association’s registration, the residents have now filed an application with the secretary of the housing department, Punjab, under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Mishra said though they were living in Punjab, they were using all infrastructure of Haryana (Panchkula) as there was no school, post office or dispensary available nearby.
Adding to their woes is the garbage stench. “The MC has not provided us with any bin to dump waste. The garbage man either goes to Sector 25 in Panchkula or Dhakoli village, both of which are 4-5 km away from here. With no public transport available either, things go from bad to worse,” said the association president.
Peer Muchalla already houses 10-11 societies, but with no park in the entire area, children have been devoid of outdoor activities.
"Children cannot play outdoor games as there is no park in this area. Either they play indoors or on society streets," said Krishan Chander Gabba, a resident of Imperial Residency Society, Peer Muchalla.The society’s garbage collector puts the matter in perspective.
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