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Illegal buildings: Huge task ahead for civic body

Monday, 22 November 2010 11:18 administrator
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Indian Express      22.11.2010

Illegal buildings: Huge task ahead for civic body

Express News Service Tags : Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, AMC Posted: Mon Nov 22 2010, 05:25 hrs

Ahmedabad:  The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will be racing against time to meet its target of sealing or demolishing nearly 539 buildings, which do not meet its norms, by March 15, 2011. This comes to around five buildings a day. When through, it will have accomplished targeting a small portion of two lakh units out of a gigantic half a million units in the city.

According to an affidavit filed by the civic body in the Gujarat High Court, 164 of the 539 buildings lack fire safety equipment and 375 have unauthorised constructions in the parking space. AMC has already sealed nearly 2,000 units in the last five days as part of the time-frame given to the HC.

The court has asked shopkeepers to work out some proposal to resolve the parking problem on their own, making it clear that there will be no compromise on parking space norms. There is a general feeling that shopkeepers running businesses from basement shops could not be so naive as to not know that these shops were unauthorised.

“They do feel cheated but I cannot figure out why none of them go to court with a criminal complaint about this cheating,” said Deputy Municipal Commissioner U C Padia, adding the AMC was merely executing the court order. Another way out is to seek amendment in the Gujarat Regularisation of Unauthorised Development Act, 2003, to find a lasting solution.

Padia, however, said the clear violation of the existing law could not be condoned either by AMC or by the courts in the absence of a legislative intervention. The magnitude of violation is so huge that a corrective action will take several years because the civic administration has many other functions to perform besides dealing with these violations, he added. 

Padia said now is the time for the allegedly cheated shopowners to move court and other authorities against the builders for selling them illegally-built commercial units, if they wanted to seek a remedy, instead of approaching the elected wing.

Elsewhere, two schemes of Jaxay Shah, former president, Gujarat Institute of Housing and Estate Developers (GIHED), were sealed on Saturday for violation of fire safety installations and unauthorised construction. Officials said the buildings were constructed without permission.

The schemes are named Shapath I and Shapath II and are situated opposite Rajpath Club on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway. The towers have 125 units and cover 12,000 sq metres. Shah was unavailable for comments. Karishma Complex and Chandan Complex near Sardar Patel Stadium, and B G Tower outside Delhi Darwaja were also sealed.

Last Updated on Monday, 22 November 2010 11:20
 

PCMC sends notices to 3 builders

Monday, 22 November 2010 09:52 administrator
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The Times of India              22.11.2010

PCMC sends notices to 3 builders

PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has sent notices to three builders to stop work at their construction sites following allegations that nullahs have been diverted for their projects. Dilip Kudale, co-ordinator, engineering department, PCMC said, "The notices were sent to the builders on Monday."

Kudale said, "Sulabha Ubale, group leader of Shiv Sena corporators, PCMC had earlier sent a letter to the municipal commissioner pointing out that some builders have diverted nullahs while constructing their residential or commercial projects. As a result they have been sent notices to stop the ongoing work. The construction sites are located in Phugewadi, Chinchwad and Akurdi. They have been directed to submit their reply to the PCMC within a week."

He added, "The PCMC officials are also conducting an inspection of these sites and will be giving their report to the engineering department. A report will be prepared considering the inspection reports and the replies of the builders. This will be tabled before the municipal commissioner and he will take a decision on it."

The diversion or obstruction of flow of nullahs in the neighbouring Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits at Kothrud, Baner and other areas had caused massive flooding around a month back. This had highlighted the need to protect the natural flow of nullahs.

Ubale has again written a letter to Sharma on Friday demanding action to be taken against the builders who have diverted the flow of nullahs. She has pointed out that the constructions have been made by builders at seven places in the municipal limits by either diverting or filling up the nullahs or by putting slabs on it or by erecting pillars on it.

She has alleged that there are three cases in Chinchwad where the nullahs have been diverted or constructions made on them, two cases in Akurdi where nullah has been diverted and construction made on it, one case in Phugewadi where a commercial complex has been constructed by diverting the nullah and one housing project in Bhosari has been constructed by filling up a nullah.

Ubale has demanded to know the reason for the officials not stopping the constructions when the builders were constructing their projects. She has demanded an enquiry into the building permissions granted to these builders. She has also demanded that Sharma give directives to remove these constructions immediately. A copy of the letter has also been sent to the chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

 

MC has no record of its building's ownership: RTI

Monday, 22 November 2010 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India             22.11.2010

MC has no record of its building's ownership: RTI

LUDHIANA: The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation ( LMC) has no documentary proof to establish that the Zone D building belongs to it. This is what the MC's building branch has replied to a query by a city resident under the Right to Information Act. According to the building branch they do not have any kind of record about the MC's Zone D building.

A city resident and RTI activist, Kuldeep Singh Khaira, had asked a few details about the MC's Zone D building, including plot number, popular name of the building, name of the owner, date and number of sanction of site plan and certificate, total area covered, number of basements, permissible height of the building, minimum parking area, name, address and class of registered architect/building designer to occupy building in pursuant of Section 272 of the Punjab Municipal Act, 1976.

Interestingly, even the building plan had not been approved by the assistant town planner as it had does not bear his sign. In the site plan of the area certified by the assistant town planner, too, the building is still considered as a part of green belt. The building branch had stated in its reply that the records that had been demanded were with the bridges and road (B&R) department so they should provide the information.

XEN (projects) HS Khosa, who had been directed to provide information, gave details which could be seen in the building. He had also failed to provide any kind of evidence to prove that the MC had fulfilled all the norms of building by-laws.

The technical details like plot number, date and number of sanction of site plan and certificate had been refused by the XEN (projects) citing that the information was associated with the town planners. The building branch had already refused from having any information about the building then things become automatically clear.

When contacted, senior town planner BS Brar said that the record was available with the B&R department and they would provide the information.
 
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