The Hindu   14.08.2012

Inspection finds 170 illegal structures

N.J. Nair

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