Cong MLA mounts JCB to halt razing of colony
ANTIENCROACHMENT DRIVE Protest by MLA comes day after minister Navjot Sidhu cracked a whip against illegal colonies and suspended 8 officials of MC building branch for inaction
A rift within the ruling Congress came to the fore on Friday after Jalandhar (West) member of legislative assembly (MLA) Sushil Kumar Rinku, protesting against the drive ordered by local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu against unauthorised colonies, didn’t let the municipal corporation (MC) officials demolish an illegal colony near Deol Nagar, Kala Sangha road, here.
The protest by the MLA comes a day after Sidhu cracked a whip against illegal colonies and suspended eight officials of the building branch of the municipal Corporation during his visit here on Thursday.
Rinku, coming in support of the colonisers, protesting in Deol Nagar against the action ordered by the minister, mounted on a JCB machine to force the officials to stop the demolition.
“This is not the colonisers’ fault as they are ready to pay all the charges to regularise colonies, but the government has so far failed to come out with a suitable policy. It’s been 15 months since the government came into power, but no policy has been framed so far,” he said.
During his day-long inspection, the local bodies minister had inspected over 35 illegal buildings and colonies, including WJ Grand Hotel, Deol Nagar, Virasat Punjabi Haveli in Master Tara Singh Nagar, Jassal Complex on the Dhilwan road. Some famous restaurants in Model Town areas including Brew Master, Heat 7, Blue Fox were ordered to be sealed.
The suspended eight officials included two senior town planners and a municipal town planner.
‘SUSPENSIONS UNJUSTIFIED’
Criticising the suspension of the officials, Rinku said, “I am against the suspension of the officials; a process should have been followed to know who is at fault. I will take up the matter with chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.”
“They (local bodies’ minister and the team) should have waited for the one-time settlement policy for action against the colonies and buildings. People should have been given a chance of hearing. We had promised the people to bring a colony regularisation policy before coming into power, so it’s our duty to fulfil our promise,” said central MLA Rajinder Beri.
It isn’t the colonisers’ fault as they are ready to pay all the charges to regularise colonies. But the government has failed to come up with a policy to regularise illegal colonies and buildings. SUSHIL KUMAR RINKU, Cong MLA