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90 illegal structures to be razed in Chandigarh airport’s vicinity within a week
These structures came up within 100 metres of the airport in Zirakpur’s Bhabat village after March 9, 2011
The Mohali district administration has identified 314 illegal structures within 100 metres of Chandigarh International Airport at Bhabat village in Zirkapur.
Ninety of these structures that were constructed after 2011 will be demolished within a week. These mostly include houses, shops and godowns. The area comes under the Zirakpur municipal corporation.
Meanwhile, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) is yet to give its report on illegal structures under its ambit.
Additional deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said: “The 90 structures will be demolished within a week. The owners will be given no compensation. We have already issued them notices.”
The Punjab and Haryana high court last year stayed all kinds of construction activity and ordered demolition of illegal structures in Mohali and Chandigarh within 100 metres of the international airport.
The direction was passed during hearing in a 2015 public interest litigation (PIL) on deficiencies in infrastructure at the airport.
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A committee constituted on the high court orders in May this year found 347 structures within 100 metres of the airport. All these have to be demolished. The HC has directed the committee to create a record of all the authorised and illegal constructions within the area with specific details of owner and extent of encroachment and oversee demolition of illegal structures by GMADA and MC.
The committee headed by the Punjab chief secretary has decided to categorise the structures into those raised till August 28, 2008, from August 28, 2008, to March 9, 2011, and those raised after March 9, 2011.
As far structures that came up till August 28, 2008, are concerned, the administration will be issuing notices to the owners to claim their compensation, said Sawhney.
For those raised from August 28, 2008, to March 9, 2011, the high court will decide whether to give compensation or not, said. The next date of hearing in the HC has been fixed for August 22.
The minutes of two meetings of the panel held on June 19 and July 1 reveal that Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan in his recommendations to the chief secretary stated that as per Section 3 of the Works of Defence Act, 1903, the central government has to issue a notification imposing “restrictions upon the use and enjoyment of land in the vicinity” and “such land may be kept free from buildings”.
As the notification was issued in 2010, structures present prior to such cannot be considered totally illegal. “As such, it is proposed that they may be demolished after due procedure. Otherwise, as per Section 7 of the Act, the general officer commanding can give a written approval (with/ without conditions) for the structure to remain,” he said in his recommendations.
