Government Radha Soami imbroglio resolved

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080619/cth1.htm

Govt-Radha Swami mgmt imbroglio resolved
Dera to give 34 acres to GMADA
Chitleen K. Sethi
Tribune News Service

Mohali, June 18
The six-year-old imbroglio between the Punjab Government and the Radha Swami Satsang, Beas, management over encroachment of government land by the dera in Mohali has been resolved.

The management had been given 200 acres of land in Sector 76 more than six years ago. However, while constructing the boundary wall, the dera management included, within its limits, almost 34 acres of land towards its north earmarked as institutional land by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA).

The Punjab Government had been half-heartedly pursuing the matter with the dera’s management but the matter remained unresolved. Numerous notices were issued but nothing came out of it. The dera management had been seeking extension on one pretext or the other.

The matter was resolved during the meeting of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal yesterday.

“The dera’s management has agreed to give up 34 acres of land towards its south provided we allow them to keep the 34 acres they have encroached upon in the north,” said GMADA chief administrator Vivek Pratap Singh. The 34 acres to the dera’s south would be handed over to GMADA.

“The dera management has also agreed to hand over 1.78 acres of land in Phase VII to GMADA. The Chief Minister has also approved that this piece of land, opposite the main market in Mohali, be allowed to be used commercially,” said Vivek Pratap.

It was further decided that GMADA would hand over eight acres out of the 34 acres released by the dera to the 13 housing societies which had been recently promised land by the Chief Minister.

Another two acres would be given to the Semi Conductors Limited (SCL) in lieu of the land they gave up near the gate for the widening of the road.

“We will still be left with 24 acres of land which can be put to better use,” said Vivek Pratap.