Civic body severs water, sewer connections of 10 illegal hotels

In a crackdown on illegally constructed hotels in the city, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation disconnected water and sewer connections of 10 hotels here on Monday. The action was taken under the directives of MC Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh.

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The illegal hotels in Goenka Market, Katra Ahluwalia and Pakki Gali area were found to be operating without the mandatory approval of building plans. The Operations and Maintenance (O&M) wing of the municipal corporation executed the disconnections as part of the ongoing enforcement drive.

Earlier, the municipal corporation had taken similar action against 12 other illegally constructed hotels in Katra Ahluwalia, Jalebi Wala Chowk, Sherawala Gate areas. With the latest disconnections, the total number of affected hotels has risen to 22.

MC Commissioner Aulakh said orders had been issued for disconnecting water and sewer connections for 29 illegally built hotels in total. “We have already disconnected water sewer connections of 22 hotels, and the remaining seven will face similar action soon,” he said.

Additionally, the municipal corporation has formally requested Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to cut off electricity connections of these hotels.

Aulakh also reminded the public that construction should only commence after obtaining necessary approvals. “We urge all property owners to ensure they have the required permissions before beginning any construction work,” he stated.

It is worth mentioning here that over 800 illegal hotels have been constructed in the walled city area around the Golden Temple despite a ban on construction activity. The MC often seals illegally constructed buildings but hotel owners break open the seals and make the hotels operational again. Social and political activists allege connivance of MC officials in the illegal construction.