Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 25

Residents of Kalewal village in the border area of the district have failed to get any response from the local administration, especially Panchayat Department, even after making several complaints citing encroachment upon the village pond’s land.

A resident Kanwaljit Singh said: “We had first highlighted the issue around 10 months ago. Since then, we have made numerous rounds of the panchayat office. Every time, we are given assurances that action would be taken, but nothing has been done so far.”

He said a few persons from the village, who are politically connected, had started constructing residences on the pond’s land. “After completing the construction work, they have now moved in new homes but the department was yet to wake up,” he said.

The Kalewal village in Attari sub-tehsil has a pond measuring 11 canals in government records. The waste water and rainwater from the village is discarded in the pond. Residents fear that the absence of action against encroachers would encourage more people to occupy the land.

The encroachment on common lands is common in the rural belt as encroachers are often politically connected. The department, too, sits on such complaints and takes no action.

Another resident said if the pond would be encroached, streets would be water-logged during rain. He said though people were facing trouble, most do not want to file a formal complaint.

Rattan Singh Randhawa, a farmer leader from the border belt, said: “The encroachers usually enjoy the support of ruling party leaders. There are numerous examples, where complaints were filed but no action was initiated by the administration.” He said the administration should ideally thank residents, who report damage or illegal occupation on public lands, but in reality they are harassed.