For first time, UT to publicise Sukhna Catchment area map

Putting to rest all doubts regarding the area falling under the Sukhna Catchment, the Chandigarh Administration is publicising for the first time the map of the Sukhna Catchment area as has been prepared by the Survey of India. Following the recent directions of the Supreme Court to stay put all fresh constructions post-May 21 in the Sukhna Catchment area, the UT Administration is in a bid to make the public aware of the exact area falling under the Catchment area so that no "illegal" constructions can come up in the area.

Sources said that residents in the area in villages Khuda Ali Sher, Kaimbwala and Kansal (in Punjab) had been taking the plea that their houses do not fall under the catchment area. Since the Catchment area is spread between Punjab and Chandigarh on the basis of the map prepared by the Survey of India, the apex court had issued directions to the UT Administration and Punjab government to put their enforcement agencies in action in taking stock of the situation and removing constructions post-May 21.

However, the Punjab government had been vehemently challenging the map of the Catchment area prepared by the Survey of India and claiming that the area under Kansal village which is shown as part of Catchment is not true. Punjab had been demanding a fresh survey of the area, to which UT Administration was strongly disagreeing. In fact, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had turned down the Punjab government's demand for a fresh survey .

Further, to ensure that no fresh constructions come up in the area in Khuda Ali Sher and Kaimbwala, the Land Acquisition Office of the UT has got videography done of the entire area, taking on record each and every construction till date. "The idea is to have a record of constructions in the area so that we know that no construction has come up after the videography. Many times, it has come to our notice that the residents construct extra rooms and walls overnight and paint them, saying that these were old structures which have just been repainted. Now that we have a record of each and every single house with details of individual constructions, we will instantly know in case there is some fresh addition," said Land Acquisition Officer Tilak Raj.

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