Demolitions at Latifpura: Farmers, residents threaten to block national highway on Jan 1
Avneet Kaur
Jalandhar, December 20
Demanding reconstruction of the houses that were demolished by the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) on December 9 and compensation for the affected families, a large number of farmers, women members of the Istri Jagriti Manch, residents and students took out a massive march in the city today.
Vijay Sampla to visit Latifpura today
Following a complaint received from the Shri Guru Ravidas Sangharsh Committee, which took up the matter of demolition of houses of the SC people in Latifpura, National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman Vijay Sampla has decided to meet with the victim families on Wednesday. After meeting residents, he will also hold a meeting with offciails of Jalandhar administration at Circuit House.
The march that started from Latifpura, passed through Model Town, Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Milk Bar Chowk, Masand Chowk, Jyoti Chowk, Company Bagh Chowk and Skylark Chowk before finally culminating at Guru Nanak Mission Chowk.
The protesters then burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) Chairman Jagtar Singh Sanghera and raised slogans against the government for leaving poor residents homeless in this cold weather.
Members of the Latifpura Rehabilitation Committee announced that if the government failed to resettle those homeless residents back in Latifpura, they will block the national highway at PAP Chowk on January 1.
They said neither the government sent notices to these residents, nor did they make any arrangements for their accommodation or food after demolishing their houses.
“The residents were left to fend for themselves. Little children and senior citizens had to sleep outside on cold winter nights. And not one from the government or JIT came to their rescue,” rued Gurdeep Singh Bhandal, a farmer leader. He alleged that just like other political parties, the AAP government, too, is just a pawn in the hands of the land mafia and corporate houses.
Kashmir Singh Ghugshore, the state press secretary of the Pendu Mazdoor Union, Punjab, said that he will also raise the issue in a meeting which would be chaired by the Chief Minister on Wednesday at the Punjab Bhawan (Chandigarh).
He warned that if the government fails to redevelop Latifpura, they would continue protesting at the demolition site. The unions which participated in the protest march today were the Kirti Kisan Union, the BKU (Rajewal), the PKU (Baghi), the BKU (Kadian), the BKU (Sidhupur), the Kisan Union (Amritsar), the Pendu Mazdoor Union (Punjab), the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and the Istri Jagriti Manch (Punjab), among others.
Human Rights Punjab state president Jaswinder Kaur Sohal also visited Latifpura, and interacted with the affected families. She said that if needed, she will stage a dharna outside the CM’s residence to seek justice for them.
