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Panchkula residents’ body accuses HSVP of ‘pick and choose’ approach
Members of FORA, led by its general secretary Bharat Hiteshi, had also met the HSVP chief administrator to raise the concern of aggrieved residents facing the demolition
Accusing the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) of “pick and choose” approach in anti-encroachment drives in Panchkula, the Federation of Residents’ Associations (FORA) has appealed chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar to intervene in the case and direct HSVP to stop indiscriminate demolitions.
In a letter to Khattar, who heads the department of Haryana urban development authority, and Haryana assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta, FORA president RP Malhotra said, “In the name of removing encroachments, HSVP is going on with removing green cover in front of houses in different sectors in a pick and choose manner.”
Members of FORA, led by its general secretary Bharat Hiteshi, had also met the HSVP chief administrator to raise the concern of aggrieved residents facing the demolition. They had suggested coming up with a clear-cut policy to construct pedestrian paths of the required width.
The FORA president said, “HSVP has turned a blind eye to the encroachment in market verandas. It has failed to check food vans occupying busy parking areas in city markets.”
FORA in its meeting with the HSVP chief administrator had suggested following the Chandigarh pattern vis-a-vis green belts in front of houses and also suggested limiting the height of the parks to not more than 2.5 feet to avoid accidents, Malhotra added.
It may be mentioned that in a meeting held this week, Gupta had also expressed his “displeasure” on the anti-encroachment drives carried out by the HSVP. He had warned the officials against the “pick and choose” method while carrying out anti-encroachment drives.
He had said, “The residents maintaining green belts will not be allowed to be harassed. HSVP had a policy regarding encroachments and action should be taken as per the policy.”
In April, the Punjab and Haryana high court had sought a sector-wise report on the encroachments in residential areas and the actions being taken to remove them. The court was hearing a petition filed by the Citizens’ Welfare Association, Panchkula, alleging the failure of authorities to check encroachments in the city.
The petition had pointed out that open spaces left in front of all houses for service facilities, including sewerage pipes, water pipes, telephone lines and electric wires, and for carving the footpaths and amenities for the benefit of residents, were encroached upon by residents. Many residents had built hedges, fences and masonry structures in the area. These encroachments, leading to various structures on road berms, are also a likely traffic hazard.
