3 hoteliers told to demolish their illegal buildings

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 14

The Municipal Corporation has issued notices to owners of three illegal hotels and asked them to demolish their buildings within three days. There are three illegal hotel buildings constructed around Golden Temple by violating the rules. According to information, the buildings are in the Gate Saravan Wala, Purani Lakar Mandi and Gheo Mandi areas.

These owners of under-construction buildings had applied to regularise the buildings by submitting factually wrong documents. As per the government’s policy, the MC would regularise all those hotels and guest houses which are functional before April 29, 2016. Owners of these buildings had given applications to regularise their hotels. They claimed that their hotels had been functional for years. One of the building owners claimed that his guest house had been functional for the past 23 years, but as per the document, it was a residential building.

While scrutinising the applications and documents, MC officials found that they submitted the wrong buildings plans which did not match with their registered documents. A hotel owner did not submit ownership documents. The MC Commissioner also issued a notice to a local architect for submission of a wrong building plan.

Amit Kumar, Commissioner, MC, has written to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to cut off the power supply to these buildings. Similarly, the sewerage and the water connection would also be cut. MC Commissioner demanded police assistance from the Police Commissioner to demolish the illegal buildings. In the absence of proper surveillance by the Municipal Town Planning Wing of the MC, a number of illegal hotels and guest houses have been constructed around Golden Temple by violating rules. The MC had sealed some of the buildings, but the owners continue with the construction from the back door. In a recently held review meeting, MC Commissioner Amit Kumar had targeted the MTP wing for its poor performance.