Chandigarh, November 19, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)
Houses, Shops, Hospitals, Religious Places, Hotels, etc of Kansal, Karoran, and Nadda falling under Nayagaon Municipal Committee of district Mohali will face hardships that may lead to demolition if the Cabinet of Punjab Government approves the proposed notification by the Department of Forest and Wildlife Protection Punjab in the upcoming cabinet meeting. Senior leader of BJP Punjab Vineet Joshi flanked by Councillors and social religious leaders of Naygaon, stated this in a press conference at Chandigarh.
Contradicting their own stand of over 10 years to keep 100 meters from the boundary as ESZ – Eco Sensitive Zone – surrounding Sukhna Wild Life Sanctuary, now the Department of Forest and Wildlife Protection Punjab has proposed to increase ESZ upto 3 km, added Joshi.
Joshi reasoned that a maximum of 100 meters ESZ is sufficient for Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary which falls under category D wildlife sanctuary and was authenticated by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. He questioned why Punjab Government officers are so insensitive toward poor and lower-middle-class people and take a contradictory approach that will affect around two lac residents.
People who could not afford houses/flats in Chandigarh started opting for the construction of small houses in Nayagaon and Kansal as early as 1980 followed by Karoran and Nada villages. Considering the urban mess created due to the exponential population growth, the Punjab Government formed Nagar Panchayat in 2006 and upgraded it to a Municipal Committee in 2016.
Followed by notification of the Master Plan for Nayagaon Municipal Committee, Zonal Plan, and building By-laws. Now the houses, flats, shops, hospitals, etc are all legal entities with the Punjab government’s approval.
He said that this single decision would deprive lakhs of lower-middle-class and poor people of their properties, who have built small houses with their lifelong savings. The irony is that the Kansal, Nayagaon, Nada, and Karoran villages existed even before the Sukhna Wild Life sanctuary came into existence, still, they will face hardships for no fault of theirs.
Joshi asked the cabinet of Punjab to reject the proposal of the Department of Forest and Wildlife Protection Punjab to keep ESZ for Sukhna Wild Life Sanctuary upto 3 km.
Present along with Joshi were Nayagaon Municipality councillor Surinder Kaushish Babbal, councillor Pramod Kumar, councillor Bablu Kori, prominent social worker Deep Dhillon & Atul Arora, Mazdoor Sena general secretary Madan Mandal and Brahmakumaris Nayagaon chief Gyan Chand Bhandari, General secretary Mithalanchal Chhath Puja Committee Kameshwar Sah, Gau Seva chief Nayagaon Sushil Rohilla.
