Violations rampant at Bhadaur House

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 22

Despite recommendations of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), the Municipal Corporation has failed to identify the buildings that have come up in violation of norms at the Bhadaur House market. A number of booth owners have illegally converted their booths into multi-storey buildings at the market.

As LIT had sold these booths, it has the ownership of their roofs. Later, the scheme was handed over to the Municipal Corporation for maintenance and building control. Now, more owners are reportedly making efforts to extend the height of their booths in an illegal manner.

Reminding the conditions about the ownership of roofs of these booths, the executive officer of LIT had written to the MC Commissioner in August 2018, requesting him to check illegal constructions at Bhadaur House. The trust had asked the civic body to get illegal constructions stopped. The MC was also asked to act against the violators who had extended the height of their booths in an illegal manner.

Moreover, the officials of the building branch, MC, are unaware about any such letter written by the Trust.

In the past two decades, a number of booth owners have converted their single-storey booths into multi-storey buildings as the authorities concerned had remained in a deep slumber. A few hotels are also running in these multi-storey booths, as the owners have politicians’ support, sources said.

The LIT officials have stated that it is the responsibility of the civic body to check violations and take necessary action against them. The trust had also served notices on violators in the past but the violations were never removed.

Assistant Town Planner of Zone A Mohan Singh said they had not received any letter from the Ludhiana Improvement Trust. However, no illegal construction is taking place at Bhadaur House, he added.