CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has issued notice to the Haryana govt, district administration of Sirsa, Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda, and other officers of the district on a petition alleging encroachments by different caste-based societies, trusts, and individuals on most of the green belts in Sirsa city.
Noticing that the construction activities in green belts of the city are being carried out unabated, the high court has also ordered the Haryana govt to ensure that no further construction is raised in any area which is part of a green belt even if it is a religious institution.
The main allegations are that local political leaders, including Gopal Kanda and his brother Gobind Kanda, have been supporting the encroachments through their political clout.
A division bench comprising Justice G S Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji has passed the orders on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Kartar Singh, a resident of Sirsa city and a retired principal from the education department, Haryana.
“It is pointed out that the land on which construction of religious nature has been raised is part of a green belt. Reference is also made to various communications wherein even official respondents have admitted that steps should be taken to get the unauthorised encroachment removed. Similarly, reference is also made to various photographs appended to show that attempts had been made earlier to remove the encroachment, which is now mushrooming. We have also examined various photographs and seen that the construction has been carried out unabated,” the bench has observed in its order while taking cognisance of the matter.
The next hearing is on May 27.
The petitioner told the high court that green belts, supposed to generate sufficient oxygen, have been endangered by vested interests, and the spaces left blank for plantation, and for public use have been under the direct attack of the caste-based societies, religious fundamentalists, and political entities.
The petitioner has claimed that he had submitted a total of 21 representations with regard to encroachments, wrong transfers of land to caste-based societies and trusts praying for vacation of public places, reporting the ransacking of green belts and encroachment by ways of erecting firstly temporary tents, and then constructing buildings under different religion tags by individuals assuming themselves as social workers, religious workers and associations. Apart from Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda, his brother Gobind Kanda, a BJP leader, the petitioner has also alleged that former Odisha governor Ganeshi Lal’s son Manish Singla and Gokul Setia, maternal grandson of former home minister Laxman Dass Arora, have been aiding and supporting the encroachers.
“Under the vote-garnering mechanism, all local politicians have supported these threatening moves of the caste-based societies functional for vested interests exploiting names of saints, and political entities of the past respected across colour, caste or creed,” the petitioner has alleged. He has mainly highlighted the illegal possession of green belt for Sham Mandir at gate number 3, New Anaj Mandi Sirsa, and illegal possession of Parshu Ram Chowk, Sirsa.
