MC takes possession of building to pave way to martyr’s ancestral house

Ludhiana: The Municipal Corporation (MC) on Sunday took possession of a 44.50 square-yard building that had been obstructing the creation of a direct access road to the ancestral house of martyr Sukhdev Thapar. The action was carried out in the presence of police personnel and tehsildar. The civic body did not face any opposition at the site, as the building owner had already started vacating the premises after receiving directions from authorities.The possession marked a significant step forward in a long-pending project, during which various departments had repeatedly shifted responsibility to one another. On Sunday morning, MC officials reached the spot and waited for police and district administration teams to join them. They then pasted a notice on the door of the building, declaring that it now belonged to the Municipal Corporation, and formally locked it. The civic body plans to demolish the existing structures and construct a road from the Chaura Bazaar side, which will allow direct access to Naughara Mohalla and the ancestral house.A total of five properties had come in the way of providing this access. Of these, the 44.50-square-yard property taken over on Sunday was the largest obstruction. Work was already underway on two smaller properties measuring three square yards and five square yards. One property had been voluntarily donated, while negotiations were continuing for the fifth, whose owners had indicated readiness to give the required land.Members of the Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust expressed satisfaction over the MC's action and voiced the hope that the administration and civic body would not delay the next steps. They said the structures should now be demolished promptly. With March 23 marking the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, they said officials should aim to complete the road so that people can easily reach the ancestral house and pay their tributes on the occasion.The MC had earlier initiated technical assessments related to the project. In Oct last year, the civic body conducted a structural safety test of four buildings that were obstructing the proposed access route. The assessment, carried out by Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, recommended manual demolition. The report noted that the structures were four to five decades old, and using mechanical means could endanger adjoining buildings.According to experts from the engineering college, all buildings in the affected row, along with those abutting them, should be vacated. If any owners wished to retain their structures, they would need to carry out retrofitting and strengthening to address structural deficiencies and meet current safety standards. Experts further advised that dismantling should be executed manually, starting from the top-most floor or terrace. Debris generated during demolition should be dropped directly to the ground to prevent overloading slabs, and suitable chutes should be used to channel debris safely to a vacant area.Speaking on the development, senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar said that with land possession now complete, the MC would attempt to begin the demolition process at the earliest so that road construction from the Chaura Bazaar side could move forward and ensure access to the ancestral house.Possession TakenMC took possession of 44.50 sq yards of a building blocking direct access to martyr Sukhdev Thapar's ancestral house Action carried out on Sunday in the presence of police and the tehsildar No resistance, as the owner had already begun vacating the building after receiving directions Road Project StatusAfter demolition, a road from Chaura Bazaar will provide direct access to Naughara Mohalla The property was one of five structures obstructing the route Work already underway on 3 sq yd and 5 sq yd portions; one property donated Negotiations ongoing for the fifth property; owners have shown readiness to give land Trust's ResponseShaheed Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust expressed satisfaction with the step Members urged the MC to expedite demolition and road construction ahead of March 23, the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru.Safety Test FindingsIn Oct, MC got a structural safety test done by Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College for four obstructing buildings Experts recommended manual demolition as structures were 4–5 decades old Mechanical demolition could cause damage to adjoining buildings Demolition GuidelinesExperts advised vacating all affected and adjoining buildings Buildings could be retained only with suitable retrofitting and strengthening Dismantling must start from the top-most floor, with debris dropped directly to the ground Chutes should be used to channel debris to a vacant area to avoid slab overloading MSID:: 127461118 413 |