Chandigarh, June 9 -- Alleging contempt of court orders, five residents of Panchkula have approached the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) against the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in the city. The plea alleges that the district administration had on June 2 issued a schedule for aspecial drive to remove encroachments. It has been issued without complying with the HC's September 2023 directions, the residents alleged. In the orders, the court had directed the administration to formulate a policy, based on the size of road berms and design of fencing, rather than "using the bulldozers indiscriminately." The court also set some pre-conditions: Mandatory issuing of notices, pointing to the nature and extent of encroachment, and a chance for each individual to remove the encroachments on their own before a demolition is carried out. The state government on April 16 issued instructions to different local bodies to get encroachments on the right of way of roads - in the form of construction of green areas/ lawns/landscaped areas/ boundary walls etc - removed immediately. Field officers in municipal corporations were also directed to take immediate action against all violators who are occupying or constructing unauthorised structures in stilt floors of residential plots. The reference in the instructions was of a public interest litigation (PIL) going on in HC on the issue of stilt-plus-four floors policy. "There are no directions by the court to remove the green belt maintained by residents outside their homes," the petitioners claimed, adding that despite the officers knowing about the HC directions, no prior notices were issued. The matter was taken up by the bench of justice Neerja K Kalson and posted for further hearing on June 10, seeking response from the district administration. A detailed order is awaited....