Chandigarh: Pending land lease dues leaves Maloya potters hassled

The notices were served last month, asking them to pay Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 as land charges, accumulated over last 12 years.

Residents of Potter Colony, Maloya, are a harried lot as the municipal corporation (MC) has served them notices to pay dues for the land leased to them by the municipal corporation (MC).

Sheela Devi displays a copy of the MC notice at Potters Colony, Maloya, in Chandigarh, on Friday.(Sikander Singh Chopra/HT)

The notices were served last month, asking them to pay Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 as land charges, accumulated over last 12 years.

The potters, majority comprising migrants from Haryana, claimed that they had been paying the charges regularly even after shifting their base from Sector 25 to their present residence. The potters shifted to the colony in 2005.

Raj Kumar, a colony resident, said, “The MC officials stopped collecting the charges in 2006 after a land dispute between the Maloya panchayat and the civic body.” Kumar added that he has to pay Rs 90,000 as dues.

When contacted, MC additional commissioner Anil Garg said, “There is no land dispute now.”

However, he refused to comment on why the officials of the department concerned were not able to collect the charges since last 12 years.

As per residents, they have to pay around Rs 500 per month for 5 marla land leased to them.

On condition of anonymity, a MC official, said, “The residents are suffering due to the inefficiency of the civic body. Such issues could have been avoided.”

The MC has permitted the potters to make the payment in six to seven instalments.

Radhey Shyam Murtiwala, a resident of the colony, said, “We were told to make payments in six to seven instalments. Most of us make up to Rs 15,000 per month. We are unable to run our houses with the income. How will we pay for the dues?”

He added that the potters hardly make money in rainy and winter season.

Area councillor Rajesh Kumar said the residents have my support. “Former mayor Asha Jaswal and former councillor Saurabh Joshi sought the permission of the additional commissioner for the breakdown of the dues in easy instalments,” he said.