Poor enforcement of building bylaws in Trust colonies

LUDHIANA: Even though it has been made absolutely clear by the state government that enforcement of building bylaws in colonies developed by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust and subsequently handed over to the Municipal Corporation for maintenance, lies solely with the MC, building bylaws and terms and conditions of allotment are being flagrantly violated with little or no action against the offenders.

An illegal commercial building in one of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust colonies. File photo

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, January 30

Even though it has been made absolutely clear by the state government that enforcement of building bylaws in colonies developed by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust and subsequently handed over to the Municipal Corporation for maintenance, lies solely with the MC, building bylaws and terms and conditions of allotment are being flagrantly violated with little or no action against the offenders.

The sorry state of affairs of enforcement of building bylaws in the Trust colonies, now under the administrative control of the MC, came to the fore in a letter written by the LIT chairman to the MC Commissioner.

In his letter (memo no 13395 dated January 8), the LIT chairman has pointed out that in the Model Town Extension scheme, several residential plots had been sub-divided and commercial buildings at such plots were under construction in blatant violation of building bylaws as well as by illegal change of land use.

“Similarly, illegal construction on the roofs of booths has been carried out in Bhadaur House and Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar colonies,” it has been stated.

It was further said in the letter that regrettably, it was the LIT which had to bring these violations to the notice of the MC for further necessary action. In pursuance of the state government’s instructions (conveyed through letter no 6/22/2002-4LG II/13350 dated September 22, 2003), the onus for enforcement of building control, removal of encroachments and taking action against illegal change of land use lied with the MC.

The LIT has asked the MC Commissioner to issue instructions to the MC building branch to ensure scrupulous enforcement of building norms, remove encroachments of permanent nature and take stern action for illegal change of land use in all Trust schemes that are presently under the administrative control of the MC.

MC Assistant Town Planner (zone D) Vijay Kumar said challans were issued to a couple of under-construction commercial buildings in the Model Town Extension scheme after sealing.

The owners have been called in and further follow up action as per law would be taken against the offenders.