Illegal Encroachment: AAP Demands implementation of Justice Kuldeep Singh Report

UNI | Jan 27, 2018

Chandigarh, Jan 27 (UNI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday demanded to implement Punjab and Haryana High Court monitored Justice Kuldeep Singh interim report on illegal encroachment on Panchayati and forest land related to Punjab government in surrounding areas of Chandigarh.

Addressing the media, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira and senior AAP leader Kanwar Sandhu said that in recent years multiple cases have been witnessed where the powerful political people, bureaucrats and others have encroached the land violating section 42(A) and the Punjab land Preservation Act-1900.

He said that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 2007 had passed an order prohibiting the registration of land in forest area, but even after that the cases were witnessed where illegal registration was done by the officers in compliance with the political leaders.

Mr Sandhu said that a committee was formed by the Punjab and Haryana High court in 2012 under the Justice Kuldeep Singh and he submitted his interim reports in 2013. He said that till now nothing has been done on the reports submitted by Justice Kuldeep Singh and no action was initiated against those violated the law. 

He said that as per the record 2275 acre land of just village Nayagaon was illegally converted on the names of different people. 

He demanded that the reports of Justice Kuldeep Singh must be probed and a judicial inquiry must be initiated in the regard. He also demanded that all the registries and transfers happened after 2013 must also probed. He requested Punjab and Haryana High court to take suo-moto cognizance in the matter.

Speaking on the recent decision of Punjab cabinet to shut down 1647 out of 2147 seva kendra across the state, the AAP leaders said that the decision shows that the government was not at all serious about the state affairs and concerns of the people of state. 

Mr Sandhu said that thousands of employees of seva kendras will be rendered jobless and common, poor and needy citizens will have to face hardships at the hands of multiple offices for getting their petty jobs done.

Disapproving the Punjab cabinet’s decisions of putting electricity meters on tubewells and sending amount of power subsidy in farmer’s account, Mr Khaira said that it was nothing but a step towards withdrawing the power subsidy provided to the state farmers. 

Mr Khaira said that the move of government was mainly to shift the focus of farmers agitating for debt waver as promised by the govt. He said that before trying to burden the already troubled farmers of the state, the Chief Minister must ask his ministers and Congress MLAs to shun the farm subsidy.

Source : http://www.uniindia.com/illegal-encroachment-aap-demands-implementation-of-justice-kuldeep-singh-report/states/news/1119173.html#Et4wp87d2x7zcbJ8.99

NGT directs Haryana to submit action plan on waste management

PTI|January 8, 2018

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Haryana government and civic bodies in Palwal district to submit a time-bound action plan with regard to collection, segregation and disposal of solid waste generated in the city.

A bench headed by acting Chairperson Justice U D Salvi directed the Palwal Municipal Council to submit details including quantum of solid waste generated in the area. “Action plan submitted by authorities fails to give clear cut timelines for achieving the goal stepwise. We, therefore, direct Haryana and Palwal Municipal Council to place before us the time bound action plan regarding collection, segregation, processing and disposal of solid waste generated within limits of Palwal Municipal Council in accordance with Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016,” the bench said.

The tribunal also sought time-bound action plan with regard to scientific disposal of existing waste lying at the site.

The NGT was hearing a plea filed by Palwal-based SND Public School against illegal dumping of municipal waste by the municipal council on common land in village Meghpur in the district which is marked for grazing. The plea has sought immediate stay on dumping of waste and removal of dumped garbage from the common land in order to prevent pollution to the adjacent pond and ground water.

“It is submitted that daily officials of the Respondent no 2 (Palwal Municipal Council) are digging the land upto 10-15 feet and dumping unsegregated garbage on the said land. 10 -12 trolleys filled with garbage are brought to site and dumped on a daily basis. This digging poses a huge danger of destabilising high tension electric poles,” the plea said.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ngt-directs-haryana-to-submit-action-plan-on-waste-management-national-green-tribunal-5016322/

FIR to be Against Thomas Chandy for Land Encroachment

Outlook | Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) | Jan. 4, 2018

  

A Kottayam vigilance court on Thursday ordered to register an FIR against former Transport Minister Thomas Chandy in connection with the Lake Palace land encroachment case.

The court has also asked to complete the investigation within two weeks and file a report on the same.

This came a day after the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case in connection with the alleged irregularities.

Chandy had resigned from his post in November last year after allegations surfaced against him.

He had allegedly got a road constructed through a government-owned land and levelled water bodies to facilitate easier access to his Lake Palace Resort located near the Punamada Lake in Kerala.

Earlier on November 8, the High Court had pulled up the state government and asked whether it would take the same stand 'if the encroachment was done by a common man'.

Also, the Kottayam vigilance court had ordered verification of the land encroachment allegations filed against Chandy.

Source : https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/fir-to-be-against-thomas-chandy-for-land-encroachment/1222622

HC Quashes Order Protecting Panchayat Member who Encroached on Govt. Land

The Hindu | 26 December 2017

The Bombay High Court has quashed the order passed by an additional commissioner that set aside the dismissal of a member of a village panchayat for encroaching on government land.

A Division Bench of Justice M.S. Sonak was hearing a petition filed by Satish N. Deshmukh, who challenged an order passed by the additional commissioner, Pune Division, on August 21, 2013.

In the order, the additional commissioner had set aside the order by the additional collector passed on February 28, 2013 which disqualified a member of the village panchayat of Karkamb for encroaching on government land.

Advocate S.S. Aradhye appearing for Mr. Deshmukh said that the member had encroached on government property and the additional collector had rightly disqualified the member as per the provisions of the Maharashtra Village Panchayat Act. However, the additional commissioner had taken the view that the encroachment had taken place in 1996 and so the member was unjustifiably disqualified.

Mr. Aradhye said that as long as the member encroached on the government land, he is liable to be disqualified under the provisions of the Act. He said, “ The view of the additional commissioner suffers from perversity and is in excess of jurisdiction.”

Advocate A.R. Metkari, who represented the member of the panchayat, said that his client’s membership had ended in October this year and therefore this petition had become “infructuous and should be disposed of”. The court held that there is merit in the contention that if the member continues in office while encroaching on government land, he “will frustrate the letter and spirit of the provisions of the Maharashtra Village Panchayat Act.”

The court order said, “It is clear that no person, shall be a member of the panchayat or continue as such, who has encroached upon government land or public property. This means that as long as encroachment continues, the disqualification attaches. No member can insist upon continuing with his encroachment on government land or public property and at the same time, claim any immunity from disqualification as a member of Panchayat. That would be a case of conflict between interest and duty which is what the provision seeks to avoid.”

The court quashed and set aside the order by the additional commissioner and restored the order passed by the additional collector.

Source : http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/hc-quashes-order-protecting-panchayat-member-who-encroached-on-govt-land/article22277857.ece