Finally, MC cracks bottomward on encroachersShivani BhakooTribune News Service
Ludhiana, May 7The Municipal Corporation today burst added than 15 "illegal" shops and a few houses in the chic Ghumar Mandi area. These actionable barrio were complete on 2,200 aboveboard yards acceptance to the Municipal Corporation. The acreage is account several crores.
The breadth had been cordoned off by the badge back about 8 am. No two wheelers or four-wheelers were accustomed to access the breadth and the badge had put up barricades all around. Only pedestrians were accustomed to canyon through the barricades.
The MC officials, accompanied by added than 300 badge personnel, including badge women, six JCB machines and eight tippers, accomplished Ghumar Mandi Chowk at about 10:45 am and started the annihilation drive. Fearing backfire by afflicted shopkeepers, all owners kept their shops shut in the Ghumar Mandi breadth till mid-noon as the MC aggregation agitated out demolition. Double and triple-storey barrio were burst aural no time as shopkeepers and assemblage agilely watched from a distance.
Congress councillor of the breadth Gurpreet Gogi was taken to the Division Number 8 badge base back he, forth with shopkeepers, approved to anticipate the admiral from absolution their duty.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders, including Ravneet Bittu, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Narinder Kala and Amarjeet Singh Tikka, aggregate at the badge station. Gogi had been bedfast for about four hours.
The shopkeepers said they should accept been accustomed a few hours so they could abandon their shops.
Surinder Singh, a shopkeeper, said they were not accustomed time and stocks account lakhs were damaged in the annihilation drive. "We accept been ruined," the shopkeeper said.
The drive connected till black as it took at atomic three hours to bright the Ghumar Mandi alley of the debris.
Congress councillor cries foul
The breadth councillor, Gurpreet Gogi from the Congress, declared Ghumar Mandi was not in the annihilation plan. "Since it was a Congress-dominated area, orders were issued to admiral to alpha the annihilation drive from here. A affair of the SAD/BJP leaders was captivated with the admiral on Tuesday and the breadth was visited by an ADCP in the evening. "Since admiral accept to present an activity address in the High Court on May 27, the SAD/BJP leaders gave their accord for starting a annihilation drive from Ghumar Mandi, as they knew there would be no attrition from the poor and innocent shopkeepers.
Area not on MC account of encroachments
After a command address was filed in the High Court, the MC had articular about 4,000 structures that were to be demolished. Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Congress MLA, said how appear Ghumar Mandi was called by the admiral to alpha the drive back it was not on the account of structures to be demolished. "The account has areas including Sem Nullah, Pavittar Nagar, Gur Mandi, Talab Bazar, Chaura Bazar, etc. Back all the bounded SAD-BJP leaders did not appetite these areas to be touched, Ghumar Mandi had to buck the burden of the drive.
We accept been ruined, say shopkeepers
Shopkeepers and residents, who accept suffered losses active into crores, said back the MC could appeal the cases of several added colonies for regularisation, why was their case not considered? "We accept been acclimatized actuality for the accomplished 10 or 15 years," said a shopkeeper, in a afraid voice.
