Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 19

The Municipal Corporation on Wednesday demolished over 50 shanties in a green belt area near Chand Cinema here. The action has been taken as the civic body is to develop the green belt area.

The MC’s building branch officials claimed that the slum dwellers were earlier allotted flats at Giaspura but they did not move there. Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Mohan Singh said, “We demolished around 50-60 shanties. The slum dwellers were allotted flats by the B&R branch concerned in the past but they did not go to the flats. We had received the orders from the higher authorities to demolish the shanties.”

Meanwhile, a former councillor, Parminder Mehta, said, “Before demolishing the shanties at this time of the pandemic, it was the responsibility of the MC to make required arrangements to shift slum dwellers to the flats, if allotted. All the slum dwellers in the city should be rehabilitated in the right manner.”