CHANDIGARH: The municipal councillors and residents of this city are running from pillar to post to get all the vacant land cleared of wild grass. These spots have becomes refuges of criminals.The problem before the resident welfare associations (RWAs) and the councillors is that all this vacant land belongs to the Chandigarh Administration and is the responsibility of the UT horticulture department to maintain. Several councillors said they were confused about which authority to sound, since they were unaware that the land belonged to the UT and not the MC The RWAs of Sector 35, 38, 50, and 51 said miscreants gathered behind the curtain of tall grass at night and consumed alcohol. “When we call police, the cops come blowing their siren, which alerts these criminals and they slip away,” a resident said. Ward 19 councillor Dalip Sharma: “We have a big chunk of land covered with wild grass, which I propose should be cleared. However, the officials whom I contacted told me to approach the Chandigarh Administration and its horticulture department.”Rajesh Kumar of Ward 7 said he wanted to get a patch of land in Maloya cleared of garbage and wild grass but he was informed that it belonged to the UT Administration. Residents of Sector 50 and 51 said that had no respite even after a big slum, Colony Number 5, had been removed from the land. The space still belongs to the Chandigarh Administration and has become thick with bushes and a hideout of anti-social elements at night.During a visit to Sector 51, a TOI team found holes in the fence around the vacated land, which suggests that miscreants must be sneaking into the area from these points. Grass has been cleared off a few patches inside, which suggests that the land is in use. Residents complained to the civic authorities many times but it is not the latter’s jurisdiction.New Light Housing Society general secretary Sangeeta Lekhi said: “Even though the authorities have fenced the vacated land, outsiders come in at late hours and sit there drinking. This has become a favourite spot of criminals, as no policeman ever comes in to check. The housing society got some bit of the wild grass cleared for the safety of the residents, women especially, but the infiltrators find new dens in the area.”In the last meeting of Foswac (Federation of Sector Welfare Associations of Chandigarh) representatives from the Sector-38 resident welfare association (RWA) had raised an issue about a large chunk of vacant land in the area where criminals used to hide. Residents had taked up the matter with the police many times but it had not helped.

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