Give alternative accommodation to power colony residents: HC to PSPCL, state govt

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday directed the Punjab government as well as Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to explore all possibilities of providing alternative accommodation to around 600 affected employees’ families of Power Colony, Ludhiana, by constructing multi-storied flats for them in three years.

The state government had decided on August 13 last year to transfer the land over which Power Colony is situated to the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) for construction of a residential-cum-commercial complex called “Down Town”. The PSEB Employees Joint Forum had challenged the decision in the high court.

However, the division bench comprising justice Surya Kant and justice Amol Rattan Singh made it clear while rejecting the petitioner’s challenge to the state government’s decision that the court does not interfere in cases of transferring the land of one government agency to another government agency. But the court ordered that these employees should not be dis-possessed of the official residential quarters up to May 31.

Also, the court directed the authorities to explore the possibility of upward revision of house rent payable to these affected employees, subject to financial position, so that they could find the suitable accommodation.

Around 600 families of PSPCL employees (group B, C and D) were residing at the place for the past several years.

The authorities had directed the employees to vacate their accommodation before December 31, 2013, but the high court had earlier put stay on the decision.