Punjab decision ignites villagers' hopes

CHANDIGARH: The decision of the Punjab government to constitute a committee to look into the existing status of the periphery of Chandigarh has brought some hope for the people living in five towns and particularly the 336 villages which lie in the 1,021 sq km area of Punjab which falls in the periphery of Chandigarh.
The plight of these villages and towns can be understood because of the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, 1952, there was a ban on any construction outside the lal dora of these villages.
Since the Act was passed there have been several large scale violations which were effected by none other than the three governments, which were instrumental in passing the Act.
However, there has been no respite for the villagers and the small towns where the constructions are not given a legal status because of the Act.
The main problems being faced by the residents of these villages and small towns in the area falling in the periphery is that the Act forbids them to undertake any construction activity outside the lal doras of the villages.
The Act seems immune to the needs of time as the families have grown over the years and the villages have become unwieldy.
But on the basis of this Act the residents, who have constructed houses outside the lal dora, are being denied water and power connections.
The Act itself has been violated several times and the Chandimandir Cantonment, Panchkula and Mohali were violations which have been regularised.
Even the Chandigarh administration has regularised several areas which are in violation and these are being provided with power and water, the villages in Punjab are being denied these basic necessities.
After the Periphery Act of 1952, in 1995, the State Legislature enacted fresh pieces of legislation such as: The Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995 (Punjab Act 11 of 1995); The Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995 (Punjab Act 14 of 1995) and The Punjab Apartment Ownership Act 1995 (Punjab Act 13 of 1995).
The Punjab assembly''s committee on subordinate legislation in its report tabled in the house in March this year had strongly recommended the repealing of the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, 1952, as "it has become redundant and obsolete piece of legislation in view of the fresh pieces of legislation enacted in 1995."