Implement law to check illegal construction

Follow rules and regulations

Although illegal buildings are made of cement and bricks, yet lot, including corruption and greasing palms under the table, is involved in construction of such edifices. Some officers accept bribe and allow illegal construction of buildings.

Giving and accepting bribe is a mistake of givers and takers, besides our government too. The ruling dispensation is not keeping a check on old dilapidated buildings, which can tumble any day due to unforeseen circumstances. It will create a lot of mess in the city. Such buildings are used illegally by drug addicts and suppliers, besides those involved in heinous crimes. The construction of any building must be done under rules and regulations. Proper paper work must be completed if it is safe to carry out construction. Space must be left before buildings for movement of traffic without any hindrance. It will increase development and provide a safer environment. — Gursimar, a student

Punitive action against illegal edifices

Nowadays, the illegal construction of buildings has increased manifold. In this fast pace world you just need some extra money to get your work done. One can give money to corrupt officials and get permission or map passed for the building no matter how and where you want to undertake construction. A strict action against corrupt officials is need of the hour. Officials cannot justify their performance by removing some encroachments. That is their part of duty. Either they should be suspended or terminated if found accepting bribe despite warnings. — Deepali, a resident

Shun favouritism, go by law

The menace of illegal buildings in the city can be easily curbed if the department concerned of the Municipal Corporation (MC) takes a tough stand. Firstly, the MC must not approve building plans, which flout laws. Secondly, officials must keep a strict vigil so as to prevent unapproved and illegal construction. The civic body should be prepared to raze illegal structures with or without police assistance. No interference from local politicians, including elected representative of the people in the MC House, should be allowed. If the civic body takes courage to act against violators then illegal construction can be curbed in the city. The MC should strictly go by laws and not allow favoritism at its own level.  The civic body has got leverage from the court to take action against illegal construction in the city. No building plan should be approved if it does not include water harvesting component facility. — Dr G Dev, a resident

Violators must not be let off the hook

Construction of illegal building or violation due to alteration of the existing structure should be made a criminal offence. The builder involved in construction of illegal building as well the official concerned, including building inspector, who gave a go ahead, should be booked by the police. An illegal structure comes into existence due to the builder and official nexus. Secondly, video of building demolition should be recorded and its clip should be circulated in the social media so that in future the public thinks twice before construction an illegal structure. Thirdly, if someone violates rules he should not be allowed to buy new property or land. Rather, he or she should be blacklisted. — Neeraj Dhir, a businessman

Nobody is bothered about the issue

Urban Estates in Ludhiana were developed in a planned manner. Meanwhile, illegal construction went on unchecked. People have encroached sewage lines. Shopkeepers have occupied public places. It seems that nobody is bothered. The authorities are looking the other way as illegal construction and encroachment goes on with impunity.  — Amarjit Singh, a resident

Find reason behind illegal construction

An illegal construction ruins roads, public areas and other amenities. To tackle this problem, we need to know causes behind it. Developers, who just want to make financial profits, are the main culprits behind the illegal construction. They should be made aware of how such construction is affecting development in the city and life of the people. The government has made many laws to check illegal construction. But, these are not followed in a true letter and spirit. Officials must take action against those, who violate laws. — Amanjeet Kaur, a resident

Greed is the root cause of unlawful activities

There is no doubt that most public servants are corrupt. They like to make money by bending rules and ignoring wrong doings of the public. There should be no link of residents with the plan approval authority. The watch and ward staff should include members from the public to oversee development. Honest social workers should be assigned the task to inspect buildings under construction along with inspecting the staff of government departments in order to prevent flouting of rules. Human greed is the basis of every ill in our society. — Major (retd) Gurdeep Samra 

Technical route to combat illegal constructions

Due to lackadaisical approach of the state government and largely due to lack of attention, deliberate or otherwise, on part of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation towards violations of laws, the people construct buildings illegally in their areas in connivance with municipal and revenue officials, builders and other influential persons. An illegal construction in the city seems to have become as easy as a pie with no regard to Municipal Corporation (MC) norms. Total lawlessness prevails in the industrial city. For developers, undertaking construction by flouting building bye-laws and showing scant disregard of the MC have become common these days. It is the reason behind cropping up of so many illegal buildings in the city. Developers must know the fact that illegal buildings and encroachment of land hampers economic development. Resources and time meant for development are often wated in legal wrangling. Besides, it leads to flooding, shrinking of roads and deterioration of open spaces. Moreover, substandard buildings also pose a significant threat to the life, health and safety of occupants as well as the public. The practice of constructing buildings illegally has to be stopped. Now, the question arises how to keep a tab on the mushrooming of illegal buildings in the industrial city. Besides the demolition drive, the MC as well as the state government must strengthen its laws to establish a legal system for the regulation of land use, development plans, construction work and penalty system. The authorities must work with resident associations with assistance of Google Maps to combat illegal construction in the city. — Ravi Chander Garg, a resident