Amritsar MC cracks whip on illegal constructions

Amritsar, May 6

The Municipal Town Planning wing of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation took action against illegal constructions around the Golden Temple area here on Friday. Teams of the Estate Wing and Civil Wing were involved in the 10-hour operation in the Central Zone.

The teams were led by MC Joint Commissioner Hardeep Singh, Municipal Town Planner Meharban Singh, ATPs Vijay Kumar, Arun Khanna and Wazir Raj. MC officials claimed that they took action against 10 illegal buildings, including those at Sheran Wala Gate, Ghee Mandi, Godam Wali Gali, Katra Ahluwalia, Jalebi Wala Chowk and Lakkar Mandi area.

The MC staff along with a ditch machine and other electric tools removed illegal structures in hotels situated in the markets around the Golden Temple. The hotels were being constructed by violating the Building Bylaws and Amritsar Walled City Act. Some of the illegal buildings were sealed.

The MC faced a protest from building owners and heated arguments were witnessed at three different spots. Two former councillors of the Municipal Corporation intervened to shelter an illegally constructed hotel. The councillors and the protesters alleged that illegal constructions were being conducted at every corner of the city, why the MC adopted a pick-and-choose policy.

Despite the ban on construction within the walled city area, more than 800 illegal hotels have been constructed around the Golden Temple during the past few years.

A number of hotel owners have constructed multi-storey buildings in narrow streets of the walled city where no fire safety measures were adopted. Most of the hotels do not have parking space and built projects by violating the bylaws. The buildings sealed by the MTP wing in the past have been completed by breaking the seals, but no action has been taken against the violators.

MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said the drive against illegal buildings would continue and no violators would be spared.