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Ludhiana MC helping land mafia, alleges UK national; civic body rebuts charges
Dhilpreet said it was his ancestral property and a few neighbours had moved court in 2019 claiming that the site was reserved for a park when Raghunath Enclave was established in Ludhiana
A UK national, Dhilpreet Singh, on Thursday accused the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) of helping the land mafia to ‘grab’ his 1.75 acres worth about ₹150 crore in Raghunath Enclave by demolishing the existing residential unit, a charge refuted by the civic body.
Residing in Mohali currently, Dhilpreet said it was his ancestral property and a few neighbours had moved court in 2019 claiming that the site was reserved for a park when Raghunath Enclave was established. “The case is still subjudice, but it seems like the land mafia, which is allegedly patronised by a cabinet minister, is trying to grab the land with the help of MC,” Dhilpreet alleged.
He claimed that MC officials conducted a demolition drive on Thursday morning in presence of heavy police force and razed the main gate and residential unit without serving any notice.
“A part of Raghunath Enclave was carved out of our land when my grandfather sold it in the 80s. The ownership of the land in question has also been challenged earlier and the court had in 2012 and 2015 ordered that the land belongs to us. Further, the court ordered that even if the MC comes to know about any encroachment made by the owner, it has to follow procedure and serve notice before taking any action,” he said.
“But the MC demolished the structure in contempt of the court orders. The MC is aiding the land mafia which is suspectedly trying to grab the land,” he added. “The MC teams have been visiting the site since the last week of October and municipal commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal was also apprised of the same through an email in the past. A complaint regarding the same was also submitted with the vigilance department, but to no avail,” Dhilpreet said.
“Furniture, air conditioner and other items kept inside the residential unit have also been damaged by the MC. We will file a contempt petition against the civic body. An FIR will also be lodged against the MC after discussing the matter with my lawyer,” he added.
Meanwhile, assistant town planner (ATP) MS Bedi said as per the record, the site was earmarked for a park and the horticulture wing of MC was directed to construct the same at the site.
“The horticulture wing apprised the senior officials of the encroachment on the site, following which the building branch was directed to demolish the structure. A notice was also served. The MC is not aware of the case filed by the locals in this regard and neither any court orders were presented by the owner or his staff at the site,” he added.
