With 2 storeyed building permission, man constructs 6 floors
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 30: The Kupwara Municipal Council reeks of corruption as building permission given for the construction of a 2-storied commercial building has been turned into 6 with the administration failing to keep a check on the violation of building permission norms happening around.
As per the documents available with Excelsior, one Ghulam Mohammad Wani of Branwani area of Kupwara falling in Ward number 5 was given building permission by the Municipal Council, Kupwara for the construction of a double storey commercial building at Branwani, Kupwara, however, what followed made the mockery of the administration in the district.
In violation of the norms and regulations, a 6-storied commercial building was raised even as there is no permission given for that and as per officials, permission for such a huge building is totally against the laid down norms.
After the issue was brought to the notice of the District Administration Kupwara, it wrote to the Municipal Council asking it to visit the spot and see if any illegalities were going on.
The officials of the Municipal Council visited the spot and ignored the enormously raised structure and informed the District Administration that it was observed that “although the applicant has obtained a valid building permission renewal order from this office…but the applicant has done violation to the approval of building plan by constructing extra portion,” the official communication read without a mention of the huge building that the owner is constructing.
The Municipal Council, as per documents also served a notice to the applicant about the “deviation” from the approved site plan and asked him to remove the encroachments as the plan was approved for 3295 sft, not 4588 sft which he has ended up constructing.
The applicant, as per the Municipal Council, then wrote to them, stating that he was “illiterate and ignorant and carried out the construction unintentionally”, and due to the poor understanding of rules. “Thus requested that the encroachment made by him be compounded,” the documents state.
The violator of the norms was then slapped with a fine of Rs 10, 000 by the Municipal Council and was let go and the mention of going beyond what is permissible was not even made.
Those privy to the matter said that the officials of the Municipal Council are hand in glove with the applicant and have resorted to corrupt practices while allowing the construction of the huge commercial building.
Despite assurances and inquiries by the officials of the District Administration Kupwara as well as the Municipal Council, Kupwara no action has been witnessed on the ground and the construction work on the building continues as of now.
“There is a proper nexus between the builder and the MC Kupwara as despite bringing the issue to their notice, they have ended up doing nothing; with permission of only 2 storey building, construction of a 6-storied building is going on unchecked,” an official privy to the development said.
Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara Imam Din told Excelsior that he has sought the plan and other related documents from the officials of the Municipal Council, Kupwara to ascertain facts.
“The Municipal Council, Kupwara has said that they have given the permission and now we have sought the plan from them in order ascertain what has been permitted and what is going on the ground,” he said.
About the “deviation” from the approved site plan and the imposition of a fine of Rs 10, 000, he said that it does not work that way as the violator needs to be penalized for that “extra portion” needs to be dismantled.
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