Amritsar, June 18
Taking a serious view of the gross violations of building by-laws during the five-year tenure of the SAD-BJP government, the state government has issued strict instructions to the Commissioners of various municipal corporations to check the menace of unauthorised constructions by meticulously implementing the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911, and Building Bylaws, 1997, within 10 days.
After the detection of fresh cases of unauthorised constructions, the state government warned that the non-implementation of the instructions and supervisor lapses in the past encouraged corruption.
In a demi-official letter, addressed to the Commissioners of Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar, Mr Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secretary, Local Government, said “It has been noticed that the monitoring of the sanctioned building plans in the corporation cities is not being carried out effectively in accordance with the provisions of the building by-laws. Consequently, the building construction is taking place against the sanctioned or approved building plans. In addition to this, unauthorised building activities are also taking place and the detection of the same is not being carried out effectively in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1976. To monitor the building activities according to the sanctioned building plans and ensure checking of unauthorised construction activities within the corporation limits, the enforcement of the building by-laws and the monitoring of the building activities may be strictly carried out by officials concerned involved for the enforcement of the same.”
The Principal Secretary directed the Commissioners to submit quarterly reports for the proper review of this vital aspect. The instructions further read that all building works for which permission is required shall be subject to inspection by the enforcement authority of the municipal corporations.
Henceforth, no building shall be allowed to be occupied without obtaining the completion certificates as required under Section 272 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976. As far as the detection of the unauthorised building activities taking place in various areas of the city is concerned, enforcement staff and municipal town planners should regularly monitor and supervise their respective areas and as soon as any construction is noticed right in the beginning it should be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the municipal act. Unauthorised building construction activities should be personally monitored by the MTPs every week, the order said.
It is learnt that Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Minister, Local Bodies, will send a detailed report about the “missing” or suppressed notices to violators of building by-laws to the Chief Minister as recommended by the Principal Secretary.
