Hotel being built in violation of rules at prime location on Dugri Bypass Road

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, March 15

Taking advantage of staff of government offices being busy with recently concluded Assembly elections in the state, unscrupulous builders were making the most of the situation. On the one side illegal commercial building activities were thriving within the MC limits, on the other areas under the administrative control of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority were in a worse situation.

The latest example was a sprawling commercial complex – purportedly a hotel under construction on the 200 feet Dugri Bypass Road. It was learnt that though the GLADA field staff was fully aware that the construction was completely illegal, without the approved building plan and an NOC from the competent authority (GLADA in this case), no action was initiated to stop the construction at the initial stage when foundations were being laid, allegedly due to political intervention.

Though GLADA officials denied that there was any kind of pressure – political or otherwise, then why the builder was not stopped to continue with the construction of the second floor of the building was beyond comprehension.

Reliable sources said owner of the building, though an SAD activist, had managed to get a former Congress MLA to put in words to GLADA officials to let the construction of the building continue.

GLADA SDO Parminder Singh said a notice for immediately stopping the work of the illegal construction in violation of provisions of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995, had already been issued by the GLADA Estate Officer (Regulatory) on March 3, 2022.

“Now that the builder is still continuing with the construction of the illegal commercial building, we have sought police force from the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate for demolition of the non-compoundable violations of the building bylaws,” said the GLADA official.

The track record of GLADA in acting against the violations, or for that matter even removal of encroachments, being slack, it would be nothing less than a miracle if any worthwhile action was taken in this case of brazen violation and open challenge to the authorities.

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