Things get going in Zirakpur

Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 27 Once having the dubious distinction of being Chandigarh’s poor cousin targeted by developers because of its proximity to the City Beautiful, Zirakpur is on the fast track of planned and systematic development. Encroachments have been removed from malls and housing colonies. This is not all. Penal action, too, has been initiated against various violators as per provisions of law. Information made available to a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court suggests that the Zirakpur municipal council has taken action against as many as 500 encroachers “and encroachments have been removed”. The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, too, has identified nothing less than 30 cases of different types of violations, wherein penal action has been taken. The executive officer of the civic body has also informed the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain that sewage treatment plant would be completed by March 31, 2013. The Bench was also told that the work of laying of underground sewerage lines has been completed to the extent of 90 per cent and the remaining work would be completed by March 31, next year. The significant assertions came during the hearing of a suo motu case on the facilities available in Zirakpur. During the hearing of the case, director, Punjab local government, Ashok Kumar Gupta, was present in the court. In an affidavit, he informed the Bench that Zirakpur’s masterplan was made effective in 2009 and “thereafter within the municipal limits no unauthorised construction has cropped up”. Taking on record the assertions, the Bench closed the petition with observations: “In view of the orders passed by the court from time to time and the assurance given by the director, local government, Punjab, in his affidavits, placed on record on earlier dates and today, this writ petition is disposed of”.