MC staff pull down 25 illegal structures on Old GT Road

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 16

Amid cold waves, MC’s Building Branch officials carried out an anti-encroachment drive near Chawani Mohalla on Old GT Road here on Wednesday morning. Civic body staff got demolished around 25 structures, including slums and permanent encroachments.

Meanwhile, a few persons opposed the action against the structures and they blamed the civic body for making them homeless in such adverse weather conditions. Some of them used to live in slums while some were running small stalls to earn livelihood.

However, the officials claimed that the encroachers were already instructed to vacate the land. The demolition drive was carried out by the officials under police protection.

Assistant Town Planner of the MC’s Building Branch Zone A Mohan Singh said shops, slums and other structures were raised on the encroached land.

He said: “We had earlier got land demarcated and asked the encroachers to vacate the land. When we went to take action this morning, a few persons opposed the drive but the police controlled the situation. Some persons also used to station rickshaws on the encroached land. We have demolished around 25 structures and got the land vacated.”

A building from where a liquor vend was being run in the past was also demolished last week. It was also constructed on the encroached portion with the support of some influential persons as per sources.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said the encroachments had come up on the green belt area in the past. The land had got vacated after today’s action against encroachments.