Ashutosh Mohunta, J. - (1.) The petitioners have challenged the order dated June 11, 2001 passed by respondent No. 1 Principal Secretary to Government of Punjab, Department of Local Government, and the notification dated June 15, 2001. By these, the area of village Machhi Joa was excluded from jurisdiction of the Municipal Council, Sultanpur Lodhi.
(2.) First the facts: On February 14, 1975 the residential area of village Machhi Joa was included in the Municipal Council, Sultanpur Lodhi. However, no development work was done in the area. Probably the area lay in a corner of the township of Sultanpur Lodhi. Faced with this situation, the residents of this village requested for its exclusion from the limits of Municipal Council, Sultanput Lodhi. Letters were written by the inhabitants of the village to the Executive Officer of the Nagar Council and to respondent No.4 Mrs. Upinderjit Kaur, Minister for technical Education. It was represented by the villagers that the income earned from this village is deposited with the Municipal Council, but no amount is spent for the development of the area. Thus, they requested that the village be excluded from the municipal limits of Sultanpur Lodhi.
(3.) The matter was put up in the meeting of the Nagar Council, Sultanpur Lodhi on April 30, 1999. It was unanimously resolved to recommend that village Machhi Joa be excluded from the area of Nagar Council, Sultanpur Lodhi, and that a separate Panchayat of the village be constituted. A copy of the said resolution is at Annexure P3 with the writ petition.;