CHANDIGARH, April 23: Local MP Satya Pal Jain asked the people not to allow more jhuggis as it tarnished the image of the City. He was speaking at the draw of lots held outside the Estate Office here today for the Rehabilitation Complex in Mauli Jagran village near the Railway Station. In all, 2565 residents from Labour Colony, Sector 31, were allotted sites under the scheme of Licensing of Tenements Sites and Services.Jain said the government was committed to construct 20 lakh houses within this year. Speaking on the occasion, Deputy commissioner K K Khandelwal said that those who were running shops in their previous colony would also be given shop sites in the new colony. He reiterated that any touts, including those in the garb of property dealers, operating in the colony would be firmly dealt with.
The function that began around 11 a.m. continued well past 5 pm.
Allotments flayed
In a joint statement, the Shiromani Akali Dal and Youth Akali Dal have condemned the allotment of residential sites and other facilities to the residents of Labour Colony, Sector 31. Gurpartap Singh Riar, president of Shiromani Akali Dal said that these people had come here to earn their living and then occupied land illegally.
"Then they took to all kinds of illegal and unfair things including putting up kundis and resorting to violence and ironically they are being rewarded for their deeds," he added.
He said that the administration was ignoring other residents many of whom have been staying in the City for more than a decade. "The administration must refrain from such unjust acts or we'll be forced to agitate," Riar added.
Slogan-shouting lady whisked away
As soon as the Deputy Commissioner stood up to speak, a lady standing in a corner began shouting slogans against the administration. The lady, who identified herself as Kusum Rani from Sector 18, alleged that she had been cheated, and robbed of her shop by some persons in connivance with some employees of UT administration. She was whisked away by the police. The officials said they were still inquiring into the incident.
nquiries by Chandigarh Newsline revealed that Kusum Rani ran a shop in the Sector 18 Rehri Market. She also lives in the same shop on the top of which her name is painted. Her shop was found locked and was not available for comment. However, some of her neighbours said that she had domestic problems which hadresulted in her "mental infirmity". Some others said she was "normally nice to speak to, but occasionally she had fits."
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
