3 Jalandhar villages object to Pargat plan
JALANDHAR : Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh’s wish to include 11 villages in his municipal limits will face roadblocks as people of some of the proposed villages have objected to the plan.
On Tuesday, sarpanches of Subhana, Dhina, and Sofi Pind villages have submitted their opposition to the merger while a few more are expected to join them. An MC official said that other than villages, people in general are also submitting their objection to the civic body.
On May 11, the state government issued a notification of including 11 villages and colonies of Phorliwal village of Jalandhar cantonment area in the municipal corporation (MC) limit. It also asked people, panchayats to submit their objections if any, within a month.
Subhana village sarpanch Malkeet Singh said, “The proposal of including all these villages was made on the basis of an old resolution signed by former village sarpanch. We were not involved.”
Singh said that inclusion in the MC limits will bereft their areas from schemes like MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), rural development funds and dairy farming. “Majority villagers in Subhana are dairy farmers. They will be affected by the merger,” he added. As per Punjab and Haryana high court directions, dairy farming is restricted under MC limits.
Tirlok Sampla of Sofi Pind posed the question over the previous success rate of the MC of including villages into MC limit.
“The MC included S ab ow al villages in its limit 10 years ago, just look at the condition of that area now. There has been no development,” said Sampla. A villager, requesting anonymity said that villages like Alipur, Nangal Kha, Sansarpur are against the move but have not spoken openly due to the fear of being attacked by Congress supporters.
MLA Pargat could not be reached for the comments.
The villages that are proposed to be included are Subhana, Mitthapur, Nangal, Karar Kha, Sofi Pind, Khusro Pind, Aladin Pur, Deep Nagar, Khambra, Dhina, Sansarpur and Alipur