143 illegal colonies in various locations.

Expressindia.com:Ludhiana:Wednesday,February 15, 2012.

Although Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) had been seeking action against many illegal colonies in the past, GLADA records show that from March 1, 2010, to December 2011 a total of 143 illegal colonies have surfaced in various parts of the city. The authorities claimed to have written to the police seeking action against the colonisers in most of the cases but they still exist, say the records of GLADA.

This information was found through the Right to Information Act (RTI) by the Council of RTI Activists. Rohit Sabharwal, president of the Council, said, “The matter needs to be probed. Why are so many colonies still operational? In the RTI information, it has also been mentioned that although action was taken on a few of the colonies, a number of them started their activities again.”

A regulatory committee has been formed by GLADA to take care of illegal colonies, says the information.The illegal colonies exist in village Bajra, Seera, Alamgir, Kohara, Lalton Kalan, Churpur, Dhandari Kalan, Birmi, Mundian Kalan, Khakat, Lasara and many other villages.

GLADA has written to police, seeking action in more than 100 cases.

Interestingly, most of the illegal colonies are coming up on the outskirts of the city, primarily on agricultural land where colonisers seek no approval before selling the land to customers. In the majority of these colonies, even basic facilities like sewer, water etc has not been provided by the colonisers after selling the land.

In many cases, sewer and water pipes have been laid but the Municipal Corporation is not allowing the colonisers to get them connected with the main city line. Not only this. Even GLADA does not know names of the colonisers in the majority of cases, said Arvind Sharma, also of the Council of RTI Activists.

In many colonies, GLADA has sought revenue record details from the illegal colonisers but they have not come forward. The department is, thus, bearing losses worth crores of rupees in terms of development charges to be deposited to GLADA before starting the development of colonies and many other funds as well.