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Campaign against land mafia gets Centre's nod

By Rajesh Ahuja

CHANDIGARH: The Union Government is understood to have given the green signal to the Chandigarh Administration to continue its sustained campaign against the land mafia and those indulging in encroachments or corruption.

in spite of the political pressure from a faction of the local unit of the Congress apparently owing allegiance to the

The Punjab Governor, who is also the City Administrator, S.F.Rodrigues, recently met the Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi, and those who matter in the UPA Government, according to highly placed sources. It may be pointed out that the Union Territory, which is also the State Capital of Haryana and Punjab, is directly under the supervision of the Union Home Ministry. The Governor is understood to have told New Delhi about the firm action being taken by the Administration in dealing with the land mafia and the attack being launched against his administration, including the senior officers, by certain political leaders. Despite the ongoing war of attrition between the UT Administration and the few local leaders, the former got a pat on the back when the Minister of State for Home Affairs defended it in Parliament for the demolition of unauthorised structures on the Government land in the City Beautiful. It is being said in administrative circles that it does not matter whether the present Deputy Commissioner, Arun Kumar, known for his uprightness and belonging to the Haryana IAS cadre, gets an extension or not as the Administrator is determined to wage war against those indulging in encroachments and corruption. Even though the ball is now in the court of the Prime Minister's Office whether to clear Mr.Arun Kumar's "extension'' or not or appoint another officer from the panel submitted by the Haryana Government, it is being said that the DC, whosoever he or she may be, will have to continue firmly with the ongoing ``jehad'' without succumbing to political pressure from any quarter. Interestingly, several Congress workers, including the president of the local unit, B.B.Bahl, are upset over the demand by the supporters of the local MP, Pawan Kumar Bansal, for the "ouster'' of the Administrator, the Adviser and the DC as they feel that the Administration is doing a good job in removing encroachments from public land. They are also upset over the manner in which the routine arrest of a Congress leader on the charge of filing "false affidavit'' was "dramatised'' by the supporters of the MP who openly launched a vitriolic attack against the Administration and its officers. Some workers said on condition of anonymity that the "action'' of a "few'' supporters in projecting before the media that they were "fleeing away to Delhi fearing vindictive action by the Administration'' even when there was no such ground had brought a bad name to the Congress. They further added that the party High Command should immediately clear whether Devinder Singh Babla, who was expelled by the AICC way back in 2000 for anti-party activities, was a primary member of the party as was being claimed by the Bansal faction.

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Campaign against land mafia gets Centre's nod

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