‘Cantt bungalows not to be resumed immediately’

In a major relief for the residents of Cantonment Board bungalows in Ferozepur, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ambala, minister of state for defence Jitendra Singh has ruled out immediate resumption of these properties.

The minister was in Ludhiana on Sunday, where he assured a delegation of Cantonment Board bungalow residents from Ferozepur, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ambala that appropriate steps would be taken in this regard.

“The policy will be revised soon, taking into consideration the demands of inhabitants of all 62 cantonment of nation,” said the minister.

Congress leader Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi led the delegation and explained the difficulties faced by the residents.

Members of The Ferozepur Cantonment Bungalow Owners Association submitted a representation to the ministe .

The status of these bungalows had been under a cloud for some time, after a CBI probe was ordered into the illegal ‘sale/ purchase of cantonment properties’ in Ferozepur, following a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana high court.

“In its report in 2010, the CBI submitted that a number of sale deeds were illegal in Ferozepur cantonment,” said Surinder Singh Sooch, president Cantonment Board Bungalow Association, Ferozepur. He added that the residents were being unnecessarily harassed on one pretext or the other for no fault of theirs.

Responding to the CBI report, the high court asked the Cantonment Board officer/ Defence Estate Officer to cancel all the sale deeds 1970 onwards/ if need be, prior to that and take action as per law, added Sooch.