High-rise buildings in villages come under Punjab Vigilance scanner

Chandigarh, July 12

High-rise buildings within ‘lal dora’ and the adjoining areas of villages in the state have come under the scanner of Punjab Vigilance Bureau.

Officials in Housing and Urban development Department have been asked to provide details of such high-rise buildings, especially in the villages falling within the local planning areas of development authorities like the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).

Not only just in the areas falling under the housing department, but such constructions have also been noticed in the areas governed by the Local Bodies Department. Several villages in Mohali district are under the scanner of the bureau. Details are also being sought from the Local Government Department.

Without any approval, high-rise buildings had come up in a season rivulets. Sources in the Vigilance Bureau said the scope of the investigation would be expanded.

It may be mentioned that the bureau has already flagged the mushrooming of illegal colonies in the jurisdiction of the Local Government Department. The issue has comes to the fore at a time when the state government was yet to regularise plots in unauthorised colonies, constructed up to December 31, 2022, but with a rider that the execution of the sale agreement should be before March 19, 2018.

It had been pointed out that the field staff of the urban local bodies, including those giving mandatory permissions, should be held accountable for the proliferation of the illegal colonies. It has been pointed out that the creation of a special task force for the surveillance on the construction of any type of colony, monthly review of the construction activity and pro-actively pursuing notices of violation of building bylaws needs to be followed.