Punjab CM Seeks Historic UK Tapes as Ludhiana Land Dispute Blocks Martyr's Home Access
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is currently pursuing historic trial recordings of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru from Scotland in the United Kingdom. However, back home in Ludhiana, a different battle is unfolding over a small piece of land. This dispute is preventing public access to the ancestral home of martyr Sukhdev Thapar.
Decade-Long Project Stalled by Paperwork Standoff
A project to provide direct access to Sukhdev Thapar's ancestral home in Naughara Mohalla has remained stalled for ten years. The municipal corporation and district officials are locked in a bureaucratic standoff. This deadlock leaves the historic site crumbling and hidden from public view.
Ludhiana's Municipal Corporation and the district administration cannot agree on who holds legal authority to take possession of the land. This land would create direct access from Chaura Bazaar to the historic home.
Bureaucratic Blame Game Intensifies
The project reached a critical point in March 2025. Authorities finalized an award for acquiring the necessary property numbered B-4-1837. Recent correspondence reveals a deepening jurisdictional dispute.
On January 6, the subdivisional magistrate for East Ludhiana informed the Municipal Corporation that compensation had been deposited with the court. The property owner failed to claim this compensation. The SDM requested the MC, as the acquiring department, to take physical possession under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act.
The Municipal Corporation issued a rebuttal on January 12. Additional Commissioner Paramdeep Singh Khaira cited legal counsel, arguing that the Land Property Collector must first take possession. This official must also update revenue records before handing the land over to the city.
Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain has since intervened. He offered police support to resolve the impasse. Jain stated clearly, "I will ask the MC to take possession and not worry about opposition."
Historic Site Crumbles Amid Delays
For the Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust, this delay represents more than an administrative failure. Trust members see it as an insult to the martyr's legacy.
Ashok Thapar, the Trust's national president, noted another Republic Day approaches with no resolution. "It is sad that authorities are shifting responsibility instead of completing the task in its final phase," Thapar said. "Because there is no direct access, only four or five people visit daily because they simply cannot find the house."
Beyond the access issue, the ancestral home itself is falling into serious disrepair. Thapar reported deep cracks in the walls. He claimed that urgent maintenance requests sent to the Archaeological Survey of India and the deputy commissioner last year have received no response.
Key Deadlines and Legal Framework
The next court hearing regarding the unclaimed compensation is scheduled for February 13. The small plot of land preventing direct access measures precisely 44.5 square yards.
The legal dispute centers on Section 38 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013. This section governs procedures for taking possession of acquired land.
