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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CHANDIGARH, July 17: The Chandigarh Administration has finally decided to go ahead with the contentious issue of acquisition of about 33 acres of land in Hallo Majra village for the Central Reserve Police Force.
CHANDIGARH, July 17: The Chandigarh Administration has finally decided to go ahead with the contentious issue of acquisition of about 33 acres of land in Hallo Majra village for the Central Reserve Police Force.
A decision to this effect was taken after carefully considering various aspects of the matter, including taking care of various representations received against this acquisition, which would result in uprooting many people who had purchased land from developers a few years ago.
According to an official press release, some of the old constructed houses have been excluded from the proposed acquisition, while nearly 90 uninhabited houses would come under the purview of the proposed acquisition.
The Administration claims that most of these houses had come up after the proposal to acquire the land was finalised while some of these had come up after the issuance of a notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act.
Though the Administration was aware that the acquisition would cause hardship to a number of people who had bought plots from unscrupulous developers and then built houses, it is still going ahead with the acquisition.
The Administration also holds the view that constructions in the area had been continuing even after the residents were advised against it. Demolition orders under Section 12 of the Periphery Control Act have also been passed in a large number of cases.
However, in cases where the houses proposed to be acquired existed at the time of the Section 4 notification, the Deputy Commissioner has been asked to finalise a scheme for providing small plots to owners of such houses.
According to the press release of the Administration, the development of Hallo Majra village has been "carried out in a calculated manner, designed to thwart the intention of the Administration to acquire the land, after such intentions of the Administration to acquire land were known".
The Administration has held that as a result of this, some innocent people became victims of this conspiracy, in which the UT Vigilance Department has been asked to look into. The Vigilance probe will also ascertain the role of various government functionaries, land-owners and property developers, in a bid to unravel the conspiracy.
Incidentally, the houses on the land which is to be acquired built on small chunks of land cut out by the developers themselves, and the specifications are not certified under government rules.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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