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High drama in Jalandhar as Latifpura demolition resumes; protesters climb water tank
Following high court orders, district administration moves to clear a 120-ft road; 14 families displaced as police cordon off the area to remove makeshift tents.
Adhering to the Punjab and Haryana high court directive, the Jalandhar district administration launched a special operation to remove illegal encroachments and constructions in the controversial Latifpura locality on Tuesday morning.
Amid heavy police deployment, teams from the Jalandhar Improvement Trust and the municipal corporation reached the site at 4.30am to reclaim land owned by the JIT. The area was cordoned off, restricting the movement of the public and media as the demolition of makeshift structures began.
The action sparked immediate unrest, with members of the Latifpura Rehabilitation Committee climbing atop a water tank in nearby Buta Mandi. Protesters, some reportedly carrying petrol bottles, alleged the administration was acting in an arbitrary manner.
The dispute dates back to December 9, 2022, when the JIT demolished nearly 50 residential structures on 241 marlas of land. The drive affected around 30 families, many claiming residence since Partition, triggering a political controversy that saw the opposition and farmer unions corner the AAP government. Since then, several families have lived in makeshift tents at the site, demanding better rehabilitation.
The latest crackdown follows a civil writ petition by the Model Town Joint Action Committee (JAC), which sought the reopening of 120-ft road blocked for three years. Petitioners argued the encroachments caused traffic congestion. On July 29, 2025, the high court ordered the removal of all debris and tents within 30 days to clear the passage.
Kashmir Singh Ghugshor, a member of the rehabilitation committee, claimed the administration had bypassed dialogue. “Fourteen families were residing at the site in temporary arrangements. The flats offered by JIT in the Bibi Bhani scheme are in a deplorable state and unfit for habitation,” he said.
Following the water tank protest, civil and police officials reportedly approached the committee for a meeting.
Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said they have shifted the families to the designated place, and many of them have submitted their documents in order to fulfil the due procedure for the allotment of land for their rehabilitation by Jalandhar Improvement Trust.
“Talks with those who have climbed atop the water tank are on as they have been asked to pursue the legal route to contest their respective cases, for which we are ready to provide them legal aid. We are following the directions issued for clearing encroachments from the area, as the illegal possession and blockage of the road have been causing inconvenience to people in large scale,” said Aggarwal.
A three-year deadlock persists as families demand rehabilitation on the original land. While the JIT has offered flats or 2-marla plots in Surya Enclave Extension, the affected families have consistently rejected the offers, skipping three separate application windows for relocation.
“We have lived here for four decades. They took just four hours to demolish my five-marla house in 2022,” said 60-year-old Meena, who has remained at the site ever since. While the families lost a legal battle in the Supreme Court in 2012, successive governments, including the SAD-BJP and Congress, had remained reluctant to execute the eviction until the recent court interventions.
Box
Longstanding dispute
Year Event
1975-76: JIT acquires 110 acres for the Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar housing colony.
2006: Residents file a petition to remove encroachments blocking the 120-foot road.
2012: High court orders clearance; Supreme Court later dismisses the residents’ special leave petition.
2014: GTB residents submit objections to a sub-committee formed under HC orders.
2022: JIT demolishes 50 houses following HC orders seeking a compliance report.
2025: HC orders removal of remaining debris and makeshift tents within 30 days.
