Ludhiana MC building branch in spot, commission moved over violations

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, February 23

Already facing flak for poor enforcement of building bylaws and proliferating illegal commercial buildings all across the city, the officials and field staff of the building branch of Municipal Corporation have been charged with connivance with unscrupulous builders, especially in those complexes where even designate parking spaces have been covered (a non-compoundable violation) which leads to traffic congestion and road accidents.

Secretary of the Council of RTI Activists Arvind Sharma has sought intervention of the Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC) to curb the indiscriminate construction of illegal commercial buildings, most of which, have also covered the parking space and put the same to commercial use.

In a formal complaint to the PHRC, Sharma said with no parking space being available in most of the illegally constructed commercial buildings, traffic congestion in the industrial hub of the city had assumed alarming proportions and road accidents –many of these fatal, had become a routine affair.

The complaint said in allowing such illegal constructions and brazen violations of building bylaws, the colluding MC employees and officials not only failed to carry out their assigned duty (of regulation and enforcement) but also showed negligence. Increasing traffic congestion and resultant road accidents (including loss of precious human lives) was the direct result of inadequate parking spaces in the city, in general, and most of the commercial complexes in particular.

Sharma said several departmental inquiries, explicit directions from the top officials of the Local Government Department, Punjab, or even repeated warnings from the Vigilance Wing of the Local Government had failed to check the activities of the unholy nexus of MC employees/officials and builders which now warranted drastic steps.

He urged the PHRC to seek a detailed report from the MC and fix responsibility of the erring employees and officials of the building branch who were posing a threat to human lives by non-performance of their assigned duty of regulation and enforcement of building control in the city.

What complaint says

The complaint said in allowing such illegal constructions and brazen violations of building bylaws, the colluding MC employees and officials not only failed to carry out their assigned duty (of regulation and enforcement) but also showed criminal negligence. Increasing traffic congestion and resultant road accidents (including loss of precious human lives) was the direct result of inadequate parking spaces in the city, in general, and most of the commercial complexes in particular.

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