The Hindu 30.12.2010
Palakkad municipality calls halt to indoor stadium work
| Requisite permission not obtained from Chief Town Planner |
Hurdles:A view of the Indoor Stadium Complex in Palakkad.
PALAKKAD: The Palakkad Municipality has directed the Palakkad Indoor Stadium Complex Society (PISC) to stop work on the indoor stadium and sports complex as it had not obtained permission for the same from the municipality and the Chief Town Planner (CTP).
The stop memo was served by the secretary of the municipality on Monday. The work on the project started in January this year at an estimated cost of Rs. 12.5 crore.
A meeting of the municipal council last Thursday decided to issue stop memo as the stadium authorities did not obtain statutory permission for constructing the complex.
Secretary of the Municipality K.M. Basheer said the complex authorities gave an application to the municipality that was sent to the District Town Planner for his report. As it was a place of public convergence, he had sent it to the CTP in Thiruvananthapuram for necessary approval.
“Since it is a multi-storey project, the layout has to be approved by the CTP. But the complex authorities started the work in January this year without getting any approval from the municipality, District Town Planner and the Chief Town Planner,” the Secretary said.
The construction without any sanction from the statutory authorities was reported by the municipality to the government and the CTP, Mr. Basheer said.
He said the complex authorities replied that they did not require permission from the municipality or the CTP as it was for public purpose by a semi-government institution.
The Secretary said the Kerala Municipal Act stated that irrespective of the ownership, sanction had to be sought from the municipality for any construction in the areas under its jurisdiction. He said even the government had no power to exempt any building from the Building rules of the municipality.
“Under the Municipal Act section 406, it has power to stop the construction of any unauthorised building, including its demolition and alteration. If its stop memo is not complied with, other legal remedies including the use of police force is available under the Municipal Act,” Mr. Basheer said. He said the municipality cannot allow any construction by anybody without getting sanction from it under its building rules. The stadium construction, almost halfway through, violated most of the safety measures.
He said the PISC had not sought safety clearance from the Central authorities in Delhi for the stadium, which was mandatory as it could seat more than 1000 people. The stadium authorities also did not produce the sanction certificate from the Fire and Rescue Services Department and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, the secretary said.
