The Hindu 30.12.2010
Palakkad municipality calls halt to indoor stadium work
Staff Reporter
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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.