Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, February 21
Pulling up the Haryana Urban Development Authority(HUDA) for ‘wilfully’misinterpreting its orders and not complying with the same, the Punjab and Haryana High court issued a contempt notice to the Estate Officer.

The Estate Officer had allegedly gone ahead uprooting Jhuggi owners without take any steps of allotting them flats they were eligible for.

Reacting to an application filed on behalf of the Jhuggi owners in Sector 12-A, the court maintained that while it had ordered the removal of jhuggis within a month it had categorically asked HUDA to take remedial measures and take a call on arrangements of stay or any rights that these jhuggi owners were entitled to.

It may be noted that special flats named Ashiana were built for BPL families in the city and inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Though ready in February, 2011, these were not allotted and in meantime the jhuggi owners got notices to relocate within a month, forcing them to move the court.

“This is a clear case of non-implementation of a policy. When HUDA has flats and jhuggi owners are entitled to these, then why HUDA is not allotting the flats and relocating them. Over 1,000 applications and reminders about allocation went unanswered,” petitioner Raman Sharma informed the court. The jhuggi owners have meanwhile approached the National Human Rights Commission as well, seeking action against HUDA.