Construction of illegal commercial buildings continues in Ambala’s Sadar area despite ban

Manish Sirhindi

Tribune News Service

Ambala, july 5

Despite a ban on new building plans in the Sadar area, the influential and politically well- connected, are constructing showrooms and commercial buildings right under the nose of the civic authorities. 

The government had in 2006 adopted stringent norms for sanctioning building plans in the Sadar area due to legal implications involving the possession and ownership of the land here. Though the land had been leased out to people for nearly 150 years, it actually belongs to the cantonment board.

Sources said even before that, individuals who had no ownership rights had been leasing the land to others at exorbitant rates which at times ran into lakhs per square yard. After a high level meeting, the government decided to adopt stringent norms for further leasing out the land and asked the lessees’ to produce the original documents of the land. 

As few could produce them, building plans were not approved and any of construction was illegal, the sources added. 

However, ever since stringent norms were adopted, more than a hundred commercial buildings had already been constructed while those visiting the MC office to get building plans approved are told that there is a ban in place. 

Sources said that new buildings are coming up even in the area which is close to the MC office. While action against a few was initiated, others are going ahead without any hindrance, the sources added. 

Narinder Singh, a local resident, lamented that while the commoners were facing the brunt the influential were flouting the ban with impunity. 

MC Commissioner Shakti Singh could not be contacted for his comments.