Strap: The authority has flagged 871 cases of illegal colonies for police action under the 2018 regularization policy

The Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) has flagged 871 cases of illegal colonies for police action under the 2018 regularisation policy. However, only 278 FIRs have been registered so far, leaving 593 cases pending with the police. The uncontrolled spread of illegal colonies across the district continues and officials are being criticised for not taking decisive action.

According to the documents submitted by GLADA to the higher authorities of the Housing Ministry, out of the 871 cases referred to FIR, judicial notices have been filed in 278 cases and conviction has been given in 30 cases each. However, a significant backlog still exists with 593 cases stuck at the police level.

Sources within GLADA say there are more cases and files that still need to be investigated, suggesting that the problem of illegal colonies may be more widespread than previously thought.

In a report to the Housing Authority, GLADA officials also highlighted the status of unauthorized settlements. So far, 654 applications have been received to legalize the settlements. Of these, 51 have been legalized, 203 applications have either been rejected or withdrawn, 94 have been transferred to other districts or the city administration, and 306 applications are still pending.

Despite sustained efforts, GLADA officials have been criticized for failing to curb the rapid growth of illegal colonies at the grassroots level. The uncontrolled spread of these unauthorized colonies raises concerns about enforcement and control.

Police Commissioner Kuldeep Chahal said, “I will review the status as we have responded to almost all the complaints filed by GLADA. I will direct the officials concerned to look into all the pending complaints and ensure that appropriate action is taken.”

Sandeep Rishi, MC commissioner and chief administrator of GLADA, added, “We are continuously conducting drives against illegal colonies across the district. We have also requested the police department to respond to the complaints forwarded by us.”