Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Oct 14: The blatant violations of approved designs by allottees of shops in Fruit & Vegetable Terminal Market, Narwal, Jammu are going unchecked despite the issue having been raised by Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), Narwal with Jammu Municipal Corporation for umpteen times.
According to the official sources, Fruit & Vegetable Terminal Market, Narwal was developed by Jammu Development Authority about three decades back and subsequently transferred to Department of Horticulture (P&M) in the year 2009.
Due to drastically enhanced trade and separation of families, the pressure for requirement of more space within the allotted shop site area has increased on the shop allottees and almost all the allottees of Fruit & Vegetable Terminal Market, Narwal have resorted to illegal constructions and that too with impunity.
“A number of allottees have raised wall/column structures on second floors of their shops, in clear violation of the design/maps approved by the JMC”, sources said, adding “violations are taking place regularly right under the nose of concerned authorities particularly JMC’s enforcement wing, which is supposed to keep check on the same and take action against the violations as per the provisions of law”.
Sources further said that despite repeated written submissions by Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), Narwal, Jammu, vide its letters Nos APMCN/17-18/604-05 dated 29/08/2017, APMCN/2017/673-676 dated 14/09/2017 and APMCN/2017/703-705 dated 20/09/2017 to office of the Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation highlighting unchecked violations by the shop allottees, no action has been taken by the former.
Moreover, Director Horticulture (P&M) vide letter No DHPM/201/APMC/2017/408-409, had requested the Commissioner, JMC to issue directions to the concerned officers/enforcement wing of JMC to ensure that no violation takes place in Fruit and Vegetable Terminal Market, Narwal, as per rules in vogue or exclude the market yard area of fruit and vegetable market out of the Building Operation Control Act so that APMC Jammu may take action against the violators of approved type design of shops within market yard area of Fruit and Vegetable Market, Narwal, as per rules/bylaws of J&K Agricultural Produce Marketing Regulations Act, 1997 but even this letter was not taken seriously by the concerned authorities of JMC.
As JMC has not taken any action, the Chief Executive APMC Narwal yesterday again dashed a communication to JMC bringing more violations to its notice. The copy of this communication has also been endorsed to the Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Jammu seeking their intervention.
When contacted, Joint Commissioner, JMC, Rajesh Sharma, said that a five-member committee comprising R K Tutto, Divisional Town Planner, JMC, Bharat Bhushan, Building Officer, Kamini Kesar, Enforcement officer, Naresh Kumar, AEO and Sanjay Trishal, EI, has been constituted to have an on spot assessment of the area and report the violations to Commissioner within a period of one month.
“We are seized of the issue and have not closed our eyes towards the violations. We will take action against the violators on the receipt of report from the committee”, he further said, adding “before initiating action it is imperative to identify the number of violations and the extent thereof”.
He further informed that APMC Narwal has also been informed about the constitution of committee for looking into the issue seriously. “The question of sparing the violators doesn’t arise”, he added.
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