Tulsi Nagar residents fear losing their houses

INDORE: While Puja preparations are still the hot topic of discussion every year ahead of

Basant Panchmi

, the situation is different this year for residents of

Tulsi Nagar

. More than 400 families are worried about their future because residents are confused about how their property, for which they have been paying taxes for many years, could be declared illegal.

Indore Municipal Corporation

had declared the colony as illegal on Saturday.

“One notice from the civic body has changed everything. We have been living here for more than two decades and we have proper papers for our houses. If these papers are legal, how can this colony be illegal?” said Rajesh Tomar, president, Tulsi Saraswati social welfare society.

Most of the people living here had obtained legally cleared maps from the town and country planning department and their property registered and all taxes like property tax and diversion tax were paid.

Officials of the civic body said the coloniser had obtained the documents illegally and sold the plots to residents.

“The sad part is they did not raise issues when the colony was being constructed. It’s only after two decades that they feel like taking action,” said Krishna Jha, a resident of the colony.

Residents said most of them had taken a loan on their property for which they were paying interests. The property has lost its value now.

“I am still repaying a loan of Rs 15 lakh that I took to construct a house this year. Most people in this area have made investments for their future generations. But the value of land has been nullified now,” said Sanjay Yadav, a social worker living in the area.

It’s not just repaying loans and the devaluation of property that has residents of the area concerned. They fear the consequences of people losing their houses.

“They have only issued a notice. They should at least tell us what will happen next,” said Shanbhu Nath Singh who lives here.

Residents are now busy planning about their next course of action. From approaching local officials to writing letters to the chief minister and Prime Minster, all options are being considered.

“An urgent meeting has been called in the area. We will discuss how to take our demands forward. We do not want our money to go down the drain. All we need is quick action from the administration in our favour,” Tomar said.

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Colonies would be regularised, says Divisional Commissioner

Indore: Divisional commissioner Sanjay Dubey conducted an inspection of the area around six months ago. He advised the civic body to declare layouts that were not following the norms as illegal.

“The decision has been taken on my recommendation, only one of the layouts followed all the norms, that was declared legal and all others were declared illegal,” Dubey said.

Dubey said that they would initiate the process of regularising colonies. “Buildings built on government land will not be allowed. In other cases we will see if taxes are paid properly or not. Modifications will be made to make sure the colony is in accordance with the layouts,” Dubey said.

The coloniser who built the colony was already behind on tax payments. Officials said that another FIR had been registered against them and action will be taken as per the law.

Officials said the colonizer might also be asked to give compensation to people who would lose their land or house in the process.