Lift ban on construction around ammunition dump,demand traders

City-based Fruit and Vegetable Merchants Union has urged Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley to lift ban on construction within the radius of 1000 yards around Vallah Ammunition Dump here.
In a memorandum submitted to the Union minister, Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Union Chairman Rajdeeep Uppal said that the ban on construction activity should be applicable till a radius of 350 yards around depot.
The Vallah Ammunition Dump measuring 66 acres 2 Kanals and 53.34 acres was acquired in the year 1966 and 1970 respectively.
At that time, the area was outside the Municipal Limit and it was barren land. Over the years, the city has grown and as of today, this falls well within the municipal limits and is surrounded by dense populated commercial/residential buildings and has population of over 45,000, Uppal said.

He said 102 acres land of new wholesale vegetable market at Vallah is also located here which was acquired by the state government through gazette notification in 1969.
Over 300 plots also in the year 2000 and 2003 old 'Sabji Mandi; were shifted here by the state government.
But in the year 2004, the Army authorities under the works of Defense Act 1903 issued a notification barring all construction activity within the radius of 1000 yards of the vallah Ammunition Dump, said General Secretary Jaspal Singh.
The union in an another memorandum submitted before the Defence Minister demanded the construction of Railway Over Bridge (ROB) at vallah Railway crossing (Amritsar) for faster movement of cargo.