High court pulls up LIT, MC for not taking action against illegal change of land use

The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the municipal corporation (MC) and Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) to take necessary action against violators, who had illegally changed land use.

Several occupants of SCFs at Sarabha Nagar market have illegally converted the buildings into restaurants, banquets, showrooms and offices.

While disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a city-based RTI activist, Rohit Sabharwal, the high court directed the MC commissioner and LIT to decide within 15 days on who was required to take action against the violators and then take necessary action in accordance with law.

Chief justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul also directed the authorities concerned to present list of compliance before the court on August 2.

Speaking to HT, Sabharwal said, “I had complained to the principal secretary of local bodies department, besides MC and LIT, about illegal change of land use by occupants of shop-cumflats (SCF) at Sarabha Nagar market, where these flats have been converted to full-fledged restaurants, banquets, showrooms and offices without getting any approval from competent authority. But the authorities concerned failed to take action, which forced me to move the high court.”

“Similar complaints were also filed against occupants of HIG flats on Rani Jhansi Road and those of SCFs situated at ‘E’ Block of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and at ‘F’ Block of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar,” he added.

The petitioner submitted before the court that unplanned commercial activities like showrooms, offices, re s t aurants, hotels and banquet halls were causing inconvenience for the residents, as vehicles of visitors were parked in front of their houses.

“When I complained to the MC, the officials concerned said LIT had allotted these SCFs, so it would take action, and when I approached the LIT officials, they claimed that the MC was to take action,” he told.