Amritsar, May 5
Land measuring 7.5 acres, purchased in the name of the Punjab Governor from the Jammu and Kashmir Government for the expansion of the local Senior Secondary School, Dam Ganj, in 1977, stand encroached upon by a land mafia in connivance with officials of the Municipal Corporation who enjoy political patronage.

A high-level vigilance inquiry has been ordered to investigate the role of officials of the Municipal Corporation and certain councillors who were instrumental in laying of sewers, supply of drinking water and power connections on the land, owned by the state. Development works were carried out in gross violation of the original layout plan of the Town Planning Scheme (No 38).

The vigilance inquiry has been reportedly ordered on the complaint of Mr S.S. Sharma, a local resident. In his complaint to Director, Local Bodies, he alleged that a councillor and officials of the Municipal Corporation were involved in carving out plots out of the land and sold these at exorbitant rates. Later the nexus used its influence to provide development facilities like electricity, water supply, sewerage connections, drains etc. These were provided to the entire colony consisting of more than 100 houses which came up on the area allegedly violating even the original layout plans in the Town Planning Scheme. Lanes and bylanes also came up in violation of the Town Planning Scheme.

The land mafia succeeded in getting a community hall constructed on the land and got the same inaugurated by the then Mayor of the corporation which was an attempt to justify the encroachments. In his report to the Director, Local Bodies, the then Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, indicted the area councillor who was involved in the land grab.