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Hindustan Times
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: After high court's order, Jalandhar faces uphill task to clear Latifpura encroachments
The district administration is facing a daunting challenge to clear encroachments from the controversial Latifpura demolition site following the Punjab and Haryana high court's latest directive. On July 29, the court ordered removal of all encroachments, including debris and makeshift tents, within 30 days to reopen a 120-ft road blocked for the past two and a half years. The road stands encroached by those whose houses were razed by the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) in December 2022. The occupants have been staging a protest at the site since demolition of their houses, demanding better rehabilitation provisions. Punjab: After high court's order, Jalandhar faces uphill task to clear Latifpura encroachments The debris and half-razed constructions continue to keep the road passage choked, causing inconvenience to the residents of several colonies on the periphery. The high court orders came after the Joint Action Committee (JAC), Model Town, filed a civil writ petition seeking clearance and re-opening of the main road. The petitioner maintained that the encroachments in Latifpura resulted in heavy traffic jams. On December 9, 2022, the JIT demolished nearly 50 residential structures to get possession of its 241 marlas of land situated in the middle of the town. The drive largely affected around 30 families, who claimed to have settled here since Partition. The demolition process had created a political storm in Punjab as the Opposition and farmers unions cornered AAP for its approach in handling the issue. JIT chairman Rajwinder Kaur Thiara said the meeting in this regard has been scheduled with deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal on Monday to decide the strategy for compliance with the HC order. 'It is a court direction and we are bound to clear the encroachments. If required, we will hold a meeting with the occupants to remove encroachments peacefully,' Thiara said. Meanwhile, Santokh Singh Sandhu, a member of the Latifpura Rehabilitation Committee, said they held a meeting with the occupants residing in the tents at the demolition site after they received eviction notices from the administration. 'We demand proper rehabilitation arrangements. The committee will hold its meeting to decide the next course of action,' Sandhu said. He added that 14 families are presently residing at the demolition site in temporary arrangements. Deadlock continues for years The deadlock has been there between the Latifpura Rehabilitation Committee and the JIT for over three years as the victim families are demanding rehabilitation on the same piece of land. The JIT is offering flats in its development scheme—Bibi Bhani. Those against it are being provided 2-marla land each in Surya Enclave Extensions. Multiple discussions were held between both but remained inconclusive. The JIT also invited applications from the affected families for relocation thrice but not even a single applicant approached them. Mohinder Singh (66) said they had been living in Latifpura for the past four decades and the authorities just took four hours to demolish his five-marla house. 'Only affected families could understand the pain and agony they had gone through after demolition of their houses,' he said. Another victim, Rita Rani, said she is not going to leave the site till the government provides better rehabilitation facilities. It may be mentioned that the families had lost a legal battle in the Supreme Court back in 2012 but since then the respective governments including SAD-BJP government in 2012 and Congress in 2017 remained reluctant to take any action.
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
In Punjab's Jalandhar, Latifpura oustees worried after HC orders removal: ‘We too need a roof over our heads'
1 2 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.
