RailEnquiry

Jalandhar ; High drama prevailed at Qazi Mandi and Madrasi Mohalla today as a team of officials from the Northern Railway, armed with the Railway Protection Force, urged residents to vacate nearly 130 houses for the purpose of extension of the railway yard.The residents said they were in for a surprise when they were today handed over notices and asked to vacate the land in 15 days. The notices mentioned that the railway administration was also entitled to get damage charges for the unauthorised use and occupation from 2001 onwards ever since the department had first issued notices for the vacation of land.Through the notices, the officials also warned the residents of a legal action for eviction and damages under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act 1971 while agreeing to compensate them for the “malba” used.The residents got together on the issue claiming that they had got a similar eviction notice from the Jalandhar Improvement Trust as well, claiming it to be a land to be covered under its proposed Surya Enclave Extension Scheme. They also claimed that the Railways Department was also asking for the eviction of two temples - Shiv Mandir and South Indian Welfare Sangh Mariam Mandir, which could not be shifted.At this, newly elected Congress councillor of the area Palni Soami and secretary of the District Congress Committee Varinder Sharma entered the scene and opposed any forcible occupancy in the area. They even claimed that the notices by the two departments had confused them and they did not know whom to hand over the occupancy of the land.