In Punjab's Jalandhar, Latifpura oustees worried after HC orders removal: ‘We too need a roof over our heads'
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Jalandhar: A few families of Latifpura, whose houses were demolished by Jalandhar Improvement Trust on Dec 9, 2022, continue to live in tents beside the debris of the razed buildings, but not for long.
This is because, on a petition filed by the joint action committee, Model Town, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday ordered the Jalandhar deputy commissioner to remove encroachment from the area within a month. The JAC moved court, mentioning old litigation and court orders. It said although Jalandhar Improvement Trust demolished the houses, the outsees were still squatting there, and the debris was also not removed, which created trouble for people living in the area.
Vehicles also had to take a convoluted route, claimed the JAC. Demolitions in Latifpura created a lot of political heat in the winter of 2022-23, as oustees spent cold days and nights next to the debris. Opposition leaders visited them. Some outsees said their families were just making ends meet and they had no other place to live. Supported by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and other farm and Sikh groups, a protest continued at the spot for some months.
A few major demonstrations were also held. As the issue gathered steam, the Jalandhar district administration and Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) offered flats to the displaced people in the trust's development scheme—Bibi Bhani complex. However, the oustees, who formed the Murr Waseba Committee, which included representatives of organisations supporting them, rejected the offer. There were several rounds of negotiations, but the issue remained unresolved.
While JAC members have issued a statement hailing the HC directive and termed it a major victory for a common man, the few families living in tents are worried. Rashpal Singh, 75, sitting outside a small tent that has beds and other belongings, said his family had a few cattle to make ends meet, before their house was demolished. "Our family settled here after they came from West Punjab after Partition. My one son died earlier and another last year," he said.
His widowed daughter-in-law, Baljinder Kaur, said she was making both ends meet by stitching clothes. "Our family was rendered homeless and the state govt should provide us housing," she said.
Prem Singh, sitting outside his tent, said his one son was operating an e-rickshaw and the other sold vegetables on a cart. Rita Devi, a widow with three sons, is also living in a tent. She said she had been stitching clothes to earn a livelihood. "We too need a roof over our heads. Govt must do something," said Prem Singh and Rita.
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