In a fresh bid to take possession of 17 acres of land in Sector 54,encroached upon by the furniture market traders, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has requested the municipal corporation (MC) to snap the unauthorised water connections.
Around 14 years back, the UT Estate Office had allotted nearly 30 acres in Sector 54 to CHB for a general housing scheme. However, the board could not take possession of 17 acres of the total land due to illegal occupation by shopkeepers of the furniture market.
Though the shopkeepers claim they have got a stay from the Punjab and Haryana high court, a CHB officer said the stay had been granted with regard to only some shops and the remaining land can be reclaimed.
In a recent letter to MC, the CHB executive engineer-II said 31.8 acres of land in Sector 54 was allotted to the board by the Estate Office on May 16, 2008, on a freehold basis. The formal possession of 14.38 acres was taken by CHB on July 18, 2022.
“It has been observed that there is a water stand post on the land that is under the possession of CHB behind the unauthorised furniture market. This municipal water is being illegally used by furniture shed owners, workers and the hutments dwellers,” the executive engineer said, requesting the MC to immediately disconnect all water connections from the CHB-owned land in Sector 54 and also remove the public water stand post from the area.
A senior CHB officer said, “We have requested the Estate Office to get the encroachments removed from the Sector-54 land, but the department concerned failed to launch any anti-encroachment drive. We can take possession only after the encroachments are removed.”
CHB CEO Yashpal Garg, who also holds the charge of the UT estate officer, said, “We hope to take possession of the land soon.”
Market constructed illegally on agri land
Set up illegally on agricultural land, the furniture market in Sector 54 came up around 36 years ago. Ever since, around 120 shops have been set up in the market.
While the UT administration had tried to remove the shops, mostly run by tenants, they got a stay order from the Punjab and Haryana high court in 1993 and there has been no move to shift the market ever since.
As the market is illegal, the municipal corporation has also imposed no fire-safety measures. Consequently, the market has seen 11 fire mishaps since its inception.
With no parking arrangements in place, visitors to the market park their vehicle haphazardly, causing frequent traffic snarls. Sanjay Bhandari, president of the furniture market association, said, “The administration has failed to shift the market despite several requests, even though the traders are paying around ₹10 crore GST every year.” Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com