The Pioneer 02.07.2013
Anti-encroachment squad constituted
The anti-encroachment squad comprising officials of UT Estate office would keep an eye on encroachments and would compile a daily report so that unauthorised constructions could be dealt with at initial stage. Besides, the Administration has also decided to recover demolition drive charges from the violators from now onwards.
To contain the encroachment activities, it has been decided that whenever demolition drives are carried out, the demolition charges will be recovered in form of heavy penalties from the allottees or occupants of the respective demolished units.
These charges will include expenditure made on removal of violations or encroachments, engaging machinery, transport and also for maintenance of Law and Order incurred by Estate office in the process.
The demolition drives carried out by UT Estate office to remove such violations and encroachments involve extensive expenditure in terms of engaging police force, labour, machinery, vehicles among others.
Earlier, the Chandigarh Housing Board had also decided to recover cost of demolition drive from the violators. The penalty for removal of such violations by CHB in individual dwelling units wherein such violations or encroachments have been carried out may vary upto Rs40,000 per dwelling unit.
With over 250 unauthorised religious places, over 10 slums and colonies and other scores of unauthorised markets, the UT Administration endeavors to contain the encroachments has remained futile so far.
While talking to The Pioneer, UT Home Secretary Anil Kumar said, “An anti-encroachment squad has been constituted by the UT Administration to keep check on unauthorised constructions here.” He said, “The squad comprises of enforcement inspectors and other officials of the UT Estate office. The squad would make daily reports so that no new unauthorised constructions come up in the union territory of Chandigarh. The UT would also deal strictly in case of existing unauthorised structures here.”
“The UT Administration has also decided to recover cost of demolition drive from the violators from now onwards,” he added. Despite attempts by the UT Administration to contain the mushrooming encroachments upon government land, the city has over 250 un-authorized structures including religious places.
And. the demolition of illegal religious structures has remained an uphill task for the UT Administration. According to a data available with the UT Administration, over 100 temples are built by encroaching upon the government lands. About, 25 Gurudawaras, three Churches, over 20 Mosques have been constructed illegally on government land in the past.
Though the numeral of unauthorised religious places has descended if compared to the statistics in previous years, yet the UT Administration has miles to go to ensure control on the encroachment activities in the city.
While various courts in their pronouncements have held that encroachments on government land including religious places should be removed, the higher authorities are yet to take any substantial measure to check such encroachments.
