158 encroachers get notice from irrigation dept after court rap

DISPUTE Dept had acquired 6-acre at Ajit Avenue, Ajit Nagar, Sunder Avenue; as no project came up in the area, land was encroached upon

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The department had Some colonisers, in not issued any connivance with denotification of the officials of irrigation acquired land to handover department, revenue the possession to the department and forest previous owners. However, department, had the occupants encroached encroached upon the land the land. and sold it to people. MOHAMMAD TAYYAB, SUBASH CHANDER, Kapurthala deputy commissioner The complainant

KAPURTHALA: Following Punjab and Haryana high court’s rap over the Punjab irrigation department’s inability to vacate a 6-acre government land, the department swung into action and issued 158 notices to inhabitants of Ajit Avenue, Ajit Nagar and Sunder Avenue on Saturday for removing encroachments before December 15.

The irrigation department has also removed encroachments of four other people and registered a case against them under the Public Premises (eviction of unauthorized occupants) Act, 1971.

The move came after a local resident moved the high court against the irrigation department and Kapurthala administration for not complying with the court’s previous order, issued in 2011, to take possession of the land from the encroachers. The court asked the administration to file its reply in this case on December 18.

Kapurthala deputy commissioner Mohammad Tayyab said the irrigation department had acquired the land from local residents for some project but the land was not put to use.

“The department had not issued any denotification of the acquired land to handover the possession to the previous owners. However, the occupants encroached the land,” the DC said.

DC Tayyab said notices have been issued to violators, directing them to vacate the land before December 15, otherwise, further action will be initiated against them as per law.

Subash Chander, a retired government employee, had moved court in this case in 2011. The court had, then, directed the irrigation department and Kapurthala administration to take over the possession of the land, which is in name of the irrigation department. However, the officials did not comply with the orders and Chander filed a contempt of court case against the administration in August this year.

Chander said some colonisers, in connivance with officials of irrigation department, revenue department and forest department, had encroached the land and sold it to people. It was a scam worth crores with the state government, he said.

Irrigation department executive engineer Davinder Singh refused to share details of the case citing that the matter was with the high court.

Advocate Vivek Thakur, who filed the writ in court, said the illegal inhabitants have no option but to remove the encroachment as the Supreme Court has already dismissed their appeal against the high court’s order.