The Hindu 14.08.2012
Inspection finds 170 illegal structures
Special team inspects four city corporations and six municipalities
A random inspection conducted by a team of town planners has detected unauthorised constructions and serious violations of building rules in the limits of four city corporations and six municipalities in the State.
The inspection report, submitted by S. Ajayakumar, Senior Town Planner (Vigilance), to Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali on August 9, says 170 of the 250 buildings inspected by the 17-member team between June 19 and July 29 were found to have been constructed in violation of the Kerala Municipal Building Rules. The buildings range from 500 sq m to 10,000 sq m. in area. The total area has been pegged at 2.5 lakh sq m.
Following a flood of complaints about unauthorised constructions, Mr. Ali directed Mr. Ajayakumar to constitute a special team to detect such cases.
The team, headed by Mr. Ajayakumar and including five town planners and seven deputy town planners, conducted inspections in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, and Kozhikode cities and Thrikkakkara, Kalamassery, Maradu, Palakkad, Perinthalmanna, and Kannur towns.
The team detected issue of permits in violation of the rules, deviation in front, side and rear yards, and violations in setback from roads, floor area ratio and coverage and town planning schemes.
Official sources told The Hindu here on Monday that except in the case of major violations, the Urban Affairs Ministry would regularise the constructions by levying a fine from the violators. A rough estimate puts the expected fine at Rs.100 crore. The funds so collected will be utilised for developing roads and carving out parking spaces in towns.
Mr. Ali is understood to have given directions to take stringent action against the officials who have issued illegal permits and connived with others for violating the rules. Though the team was constituted for conducting the present inspection, it will be made a permanent mechanism for conducting periodical inspection.
The team has suggested that the government direct the civic bodies to send an action-taken report to it on the disciplinary action initiated against the erring officials within a month. It has been proposed to conduct inspections once in three years and also during the ownership transfer of a building. A certificate by the building inspector should be mandated that no unauthorised construction has been made in the building seeking ownership transfer. At present, occupancy change in buildings is being done without inspections.
- Except for major violations, fine will be levied
- Stringent action to be taken against officials
