MC building branch under cloud

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, November 10

The ‘desealing’ (reopening) of a gym in the posh Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar by the building branch of the Municipal Corporation is shrouded in mystery. The building which was sealed on the orders of the Municipal Commissioner on September 19 for non-payment of composition fee on account of change of land use (CLU), has become operational while no orders to this effect (desealing) are on record of the civic body.

In the speaking order passed by the Commissioner on July 27, 2018, the plea made by the owner that he had leased out only 1,400 sq yd to the gym, was disallowed with the observations that the lease deed had been prepared to save change of land use charges and other local taxes. At the same time, the officials of building branch were instructed to recover the full amount as per assessment.

Taking note of the complaint lodged by Sabharwal, the MC Commissioner had also directed that in addition to recovery of the dues from the building owner, show-cause notices be issued to the Assistant Town Planner of Zone D and the building inspector concerned.

Though strange it may sound, the ‘sealed’ gym has reopened while no order to this effect were on the record of the building branch of MC and out of total amount assessed against the owner of the building Rs 80,10,488 was still outstanding.

Information provided by the MC to Sabharwal under the Right to Information Act on November 8, 2019, clearly states that no record of any orders issued for ‘desealing’ of the gym building were in record and further that an amount of over Rs 80 lakh was still due against the building owner out of the total amount for CLU assessed and other charges.

The MC has not made it clear in the information provided under the RTI as to how the sealed building of gym had opened without any orders from the competent authority (Commissioner in this case) and as to what action had been taken against the officials concerned and employees if the seal of the building had been broken in an unlawful manner.

CLU payment default

It was on a complaint filed by Rohit Sabharwal, president of the Council of RTI Activists, that the gym was sealed by the MC after owner of the building Jatinder Singh had failed to deposit composition fee for change of land use for building constructed in an area of 2,702 square yard. The building branch of MC had issued challans under sections 269 and 270 of the Municipal Corporation Act and demand for composition fee of Rs 1,20,10,488 had been raised on this account.