Amritsar, July 16
Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu has pulled up officials over their non-committal attitude to clearing encroachments and warned them of departmental action.
The state will not defend any office in court at the government’s expense, a strongly worded reprimand to officials, of the Municipal Corporation, Improvement Trust and municipal bodies in July warned.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered for removal of illegal structures in December 2008. Following the orders, the DC had given officials sixth months to act. The deadline ended June.
The July communiqué was marked to the MC Commissioner, Improvement Trust Chairman, Deputy Director PUDA, Executive officer of all municipal committee of the district .
Most department heads had reportedly marked the DC letter to junior officers to absolve themselves from any legal responsibility. The DC wrote this time: “Marking this letter to your junior officers shall not absolve you of your legal responsibilities to remove encroachments… The MC Commissioner, Improvement Trust Chairman, Eos shall be purely responsible for removal of encroachments in their respective areas, failing which the DC office will write to department concerned to charge sheets the officer. “Any liability under contempt of court. Act shall directly fall on the above officer shall not recommend the office would be defended at public expense.”
A list of illegal encroachments in the district was annexed. Several government properties on the list have a market value running in crores.
Talking to HT, the Deputy Commissioner said that Amritsar was one of the most visited tourist sites in India, and the straggling structures and resulting traffic chaos left a poor impression.
