DC Calls For Policy To Check Constructions In Mohali's Lal Dora Areas

Debate Of The Week Unauthorised Buildings How can illegal construction be checked effectively?

- Nikhil Sharma

MOHALI: Deputy commissioner Aashika Jain has sent a representation to Punjab rural development administrative secretary Dilraj Singh, requesting for a policy concerning Lal Dora constructions.

The tragic death of 12-year-old Ashish Kumar in Mauli Baidwan village, who was struck by a falling iron grille from an under-construction building on Monday, has highlighted the critical lack of building regulations in the Lal Dora areas of Mohali, where no proper safety measures or building bylaws exist, leaving the administration powerless to prevent dangerous constructions.

Despite requests from Mohali administration last year for state-level regulations, no policy has been formed.

Lal Dora is an extension of the village habitation, which can be used by villagers for non-agricultural purposes only, like for keeping livestock. The land revenue department originally marked these areas by tying a red thread as a boundary.

Lal Dora areas, which fall neither under the jurisdiction of the municipal corporation nor the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), lack the necessary approvals for construction drawings or safety NOCs, resulting in unchecked high-rise buildings, including paying guest (PG) accommodations and commercial properties.