PUDA levying non-construction penalty; no basic amenities Avneet Kaur Kapurthala, September 10 SCO owners in Atma Singh Enclave, Kapurthala, are up in arms against the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) for having failed to start the development work at a commercial site on 25 acres at Urban Estate, Atma Singh Enclave, in Kapurthala even after 14 years. They said PUDA, after giving allotments of commercial plots in 2005, has been levying non-construction penalty according to the plot size, ranging from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh every year but has failed to develop the site and provide even basic amenities, including streetlights, roads, sewerage and water facility As a result, over 50 plot owners have been running from pillar to post but to no avail. Talking to this correspondent, Harpal Singh, owner of SCO No. 19, said: “In June, a news report in these columns highlighted the issue. PUDA floated a tender for the development of the site and promised the SCO owners that the work would be started soon. However, due to the lackadaisical attitude of PUDA officials, who have failed to ensure any development work at the site, even the tender applications have been kept on hold and SCO owners are being harassed.” He said he purchased the SCO in 2004 for Rs 25 lakh in auction. “I got the allotment letter in 2005. I faced a lot of problems in getting the layout approved and had to file the petition for the same in Chandigarh. From 2008, the PUDA is levying non-construction charges, while if one visits to the site, he can easily the poor condition of the site with wild grass, snakes and insects all around”, he rued. Harpal said he has written to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in this regard as well and has been daily visiting the office of PUDA to enquire about the status of the project, but all his efforts are in vain as it has been turning a deaf ear to his pleas. Another plot owner said during the auction in 2005, the PUDA promised to bring a bank, post office and complaint room on the site but nothing has been done till date. The site remains a nightmare for those who have spent crores by investing in it. He further questioned the authorities concerned that if a tender has been floated and applications were received, why there was a delay in starting the construction work? Threatening to hold a protest against PUDA, the irate plot owners demanded complete compensation for the past 10 years, installation of transformers, feeders, streetlights and construction of roads. They said if the demands not met, they would be forced to block roads and sit on dharnas. However, despite repeated attempts, JDA Chief Administrator Jitendra Jorwal could not be contacted.

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