Ludhiana MC razes 22 encroachments along Buddha Nullah

Officials say the illegal structures were removed as the MC is planning to construct a road along the nullah and install an iron fencing

Continuing the crackdown on illegal encroachments along the Buddha Nullah, a municipal corporation (MC) team on Friday razed 22 structures in the form of houses at Gopal Nagar and Upkar Nagar.

Structures, along the Buddha Nullah, that were demolished by the municipal corporation at Upkar Nagar in Ludhiana on Friday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Officials said that the encroachments had to be removed as the civic body is planning to construct a road along the nullah and install an iron fencing to stop residents from dumping waste.

Residents of the houses which were razed said they had been living there for over two decades and MC has demolished their homes without prior notice. They also accused the civic body of adopting a pick-and-choose policy while taking action against encroachments and added that no action is being taken against influential or high income families.

Officials said that the encroachers had been given a chance to leave the site, when the MC teams marked illegal structures around two weeks ago, but they didn’t do so.

Assistant town planner (ATP) MS Bedi said, “The MC has identified over 950 encroachments along the nullah and they are being removed in phases. Action will also be taken against the other encroachments.”

The MC teams also went to demolish a building in Shivpuri on Friday but had to postpone the drive after residents gathered at the spot and showed resistance. Members of Jagriti Sena also joined the protesting residents.

President of Jagriti Sena Parveen Dang said, “The MC team came to demolish the buildings without giving any notice. The owners have documents of ownership and MC should give them a chance to present them. If anyone is found encroaching upon the nullah land, then action can be taken against his building.”

Encroachers seek flats under BSUP Scheme

At a time when the state government is giving proprietary rights to the slum dwellers in the state, the encroachers demanded that they are allotted flats constructed under the Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) Scheme.

The MC has been allotting flats constructed in Giaspura and Mundiyan areas to slum dwellers who were removed from government lands

One of the encroachers, Harpreet Kaur, who works as caretaker said, “I have two sons to look after. Where will I go after MC demolished my house without notice. Our family has been living in this house since 1987. We will approach mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu seeking allotment of flats.”