Jalandhar: Urban Estate residents question JDA for not making green park belt and roads even after 15 years
Babushahi Bureau
Jalandhar (Punjab), February 10, 2025: The residents of Urban Estate Phase One (UE-1) Jalandhar questioning the Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA) for not making a green park belt and thirty-foot road as an original approved layout plan.
Resident Harvinder Singh shared that Urban Estate Phase One (UE-1) Jalandhar residents, who purchased inbuilt houses here after the year 2010, have been doing follow-up with the Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA) for making a green park belt and thirty-foot road on a total of 2500 sq. yards of vacant land behind their houses numbered 1-8.
Residents have claimed that green parks and roads were depicted on the JDA-installed year 2010 guide maps, which remained standing for fifteen years from the year 2010 to January 2025 on the main road of the colony and now have been removed by JDA in the last week of January 2025. However, the RTI filed about land with the JDA revealed that a total of 2500 sq. yards of vacant land behind residents houses is reserved as per the revised 2011 layout plan, and a part of 1934 sq. yards has been exchanged to one trust for making an institutional building in December 2021.
"How can JDA allow the making of buildings on land that is depicted as a green park and road on JDA guide maps? question residents. Residents have already written objections to the CMO office about this 1934 sq. yard exchange of land," questioned residents.
Residents allege that they were doing follow-up for road making with the municipal corporation Jalandhar (MCJ) even before December 2021—the date of exchange. Harvinder Singh added that the RTI filed regarding the status of guide maps was not answered properly by JDA.
"Even during meetings at the PUDA office with residents, housing department officials referred residents to the Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar (MCJ) for checking about guide maps. Surprisingly, MCJ, too, denied putting up any guide maps," he added.
RTI filed by another resident, Maninder Singh, revealed that guide maps were put up by JDA via tender number in the year 2010. This has really shocked residents. They asked why Housing Department officials referred them to MCJ when it was JDA only that put up guide maps in 2010.
Queries were put forward to the CMO office and principal secretary of the housing and urban development department regarding the approved layout plan of guide maps. After fourteen months, JDA, under consistent pressure from residents, replied that guide maps are put up through approved layout plans only and concerned layout plans of guide maps are missing from JDA files. Residents alleged that firstly, JDA officials show a delay in replying to their RTIs, then they were referred to MCJ needlessly, and then their RTI with JDA revealed that the concerned layout plan of guide maps is missing from JDA files, and now ultimately removing guide maps by JDA from their colony creates doubts in the minds of residents. Residents further question how the approved layout plan can be missing from officials records.
Residents has written to JDA that they want strict adherence to the layout plan of removed guide maps and want a green park belt and road as depicted on guide maps, and they expect that JDA will deliver justice to residents.