Green Tree Lodge, Khilan Hut to be pulled down
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 28: Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) today demolished an illegal construction in Gulmarg and will pull down two more structures that have come up in violation of building permission issued by the GDA and High Court orders.
The demolition was carried out after Excelsior reported last week that two huts – Green Tree Lodge and Khilan Hut – in Gulmarg were re-constructed when the High Court had directed for repairs of these huts only and not re-construction.
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The GDA had also given the owners of these huts permission for repairs and not re-construction. However, sources said that the authorities were in league with the owners of these huts as their reconstruction was done in broad day light.
Earlier in May this year, Excelsior had reported about illegal constructions of Pride Hut, Green Tree Lodge and Khilan Hut and then High Court took notice of the news report and issued orders asking owners to stop the construction.
However, owners of these huts approached High Court and the Division bench of the Court headed by Chief Justice Geeta Mittal in August directed that the owners should be allowed to conduct repairs of these huts. But they went ahead with re-constructions against HC directions and GDA authorities acted as mute spectators.
Treating last week’s Excelsior news report as an application, the Division bench of the High Court directed the SHO Gulmarg to ensure that no construction is affected on these properties (Green Tree Lodge and Khilan Hut). It also directed the Registrar Judicial to visit these constructions.
The Registrar Judicial Masrat Shaheen today visited Gulmarg and inspected Pride Hut, Green Tree Lodge and Khilan Hut. The owners had demolished the original structures and at their places concrete multi-storey column structures had come up.
The GDA today demolished the Pride Hut where the construction was going on. The owner of the hut had the permission for repairs only but he had gone ahead with the reconstruction.
An official of the GDA said that the Pride Hut was demolished today as owner had violated building permission. “The owner had violated court directions and building permission norms that is why we demolished it. The BOCA had given him renovation and repairs permission but he had re-constructed the hut”, he said.
The official said that Green Tree Lodge and Khilan Hut will be demolished in a couple of days. He said that Registrar Judicial took serious note of these illegal constructions. “She will report to the Court and after that both the huts will be demolished”, he said.
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