Hindustan Times: Ludhiana:
Saturday, May 11, 2013.
Three days
after Hindustan Times highlighted the building bye-laws violations in the city,
Council of RTI Activists has lodged a complaint with the principal secretary of
department of local government regarding illegal change of land use at E block
of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Pakhowal road.
Hindustan
Times on May 7 had reported the illegal conversion of shop-cum-flats into
restaurants and eateries in various areas, including Pakhowal road, Sarabha
Nagar and Ghumar Mandi.
The letter by
Council of RTI Activists states that land was allotted to people as per
shop-cum-flats scheme. “However, with the passage of time people had converted
their flats into full-fledged restaurants and showrooms without getting any
approval from the competent authority of Ludhiana Improvement Trust, and hence
have deliberately violated the norms,” it added.
It has also
been alleged in the letter that 70% of the SCFs that were allotted under the
scheme had illegally changed the land use and had started using their flats as
a source of income.
“More than
70% people have also violated the building bye-laws by increasing the heights
of their buildings and making floors and basements over their buildings and
running shops and restaurants over there,” the letter stated.
Council
secretary Arvind Sharma has also written in the letter that these violations
took place in a period of several months and years, and were therefore not at
all out of the knowledge of officials concerned.
“In spite of
the fact that these violations took place in front of the officials, they
failed to take any step to check them,” the letter added.
The council
has demanded that action be taken by the principal secretary himself so that
there are no violations in future.
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