Religious bodies not to be spared

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20011018/cth1.htm
PUDA ultimatum to encroachers
Religious bodies not to be spared
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, October 17
With the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) making it clear that encroachments of “any nature” on public land would have to be removed by October 27, prime land under illegal possession of the various religious bodies has come under the spotlight.

At least 50 acres of land worth crores of rupees was reported to be under the control of at least 31 religious bodies in different sectors of the town. Citing it to be a sensitive politico-religious issue, the encroachments failed to attract any action from PUDA, admit officials. A number of such encroachments have come up along with Chandigarh border, apparently taking advantage of the overlapping of the inter-state border at certain points.

Sources in the authority said as part of order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, axe was likely to fall on the unauthorised structures raised by religious bodies. In Sector 55, pockets of land had been encroached upon by four different religious organisations. Around three acres of land in Sector 60 had been occupied by four different religious bodies. Another around two acres of prime land had been used to raise a gurdwara and a mandir in Sector 63. An official of PUDA said in a number of cases it had been seen that the religious bodies had extended their premises illegally.

The Additional Chief Administrator, SAS Nagar, Mr Dipinder Singh, when contacted, said the order of the high court would be implemented in the letter and spirit.

The sources in the authority said on the pattern of the case of Radha Soami Satsang land at Sohana, which had been regularised recently, the illegal possession of land by the religious bodies could also be regularised after the latter agreed to pay the cost of the acquisition of the land and the external development charges. But the religious bodies were unlikely to agree to the formula, if Mr Hardeep Singh, a member of the SGPC and an active member of the local Gurdwara Talmel Committee, was to be believed.

He urged PUDA for formulating a proper policy for the allotment of land to religious institutions. “A few religious organisations have been allotted land in the past. Only recently PUDA has come up with a scheme”, he said.