Punjab: Residents hit streets against demolition drive in Mohali’s Phase 11
On Monday, Mohali mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu intervened and extended support to the protesting shopkeepers
Residents and shopkeepers in Mohali’s Phase 11 continued their protest on Monday against a joint demolition drive by the Mohali municipal corporation (MC) and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) targeting alleged illegal constructions outside residential houses and behind the local market. The action, part of an ongoing anti-encroachment campaign, has triggered strong opposition, with residents and traders staging daily protests since December 6.
On Monday, Mohali mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu intervened and extended support to the protesting shopkeepers. He said no injustice would be allowed against poor people whose livelihoods depended on these shops and assured them that their concerns would be raised with the authorities.
Tensions escalated as residents accused the administration of ignoring repeated requests for more time. Many claimed they were taken by surprise despite assurances of voluntary compliance. While maintaining that they were not opposed to court directions, residents alleged the drive was selective and hurried. “The authorities are taking selective action and they have not given us enough time to work”, residents said.
Addressing the protesters, the mayor said the anti-encroachment action was being driven “at the level of AAP MLA Kulwant Singh”. He alleged that in the name of “city beautification”, people dependent on small shops were being affected. Sidhu also assured the protesters that if the matter went to court, he would personally bear the legal expenses.
During the December 6 operation, several unauthorised structures, including temporary sheds and extended portions of buildings, were demolished amid resistance and chaos. The campaign, earlier launched in Phase 4, was restarted from Phase 11 following allegations of selective action and court intervention.
