HC’s strictness a jolt for illegal hotel owners

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 18

Owners of the illegal hotels, who had been expecting that they would get their buildings regularised under the new one-time settlement policy for non-compoundable violations, have got a jolt with the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s (HC) stance, raising question on the intention of the MC that apparently wants to keep on giving building bylaws relaxations in order to accommodate illegal structures. The court has shattered the hopes of illegal hotel owners, most of whom are politicians.

Experts say that not even a single hotel can get itself regularised under the one-time settlement policy which the state government came up with on January 3.

Advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka, petitioner in the case, said, “The government can’t regularise these 400 illegal buildings in the walled city. Politicians, who have been constructing illegal buildings, were hopeful that they would amend the Act.”

“Thus they hoped to get regularised their buildings constructed in violation of the court’s ban order, issued in 2012. Most of such buildings have made front projections, which are considered encroachments. No government can allow regularisation of an encroachment.” 

Councillor Jatinderpal Singh Bahtia, office-bearer of the Hotel Association, has been demanding a new Act to give relaxation to hotel buildings to meet the growing demand for tourist accommodation in the city.

Experts say that the government can’t make any Act which contradicts the previous Acts, such as Punjab Municipal Act and standard building bylaws. 

After the strict court orders in connection with a contempt case, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has no other option than sealing or demolishing the illegal hotels. 

It is worth mentioning here that a large number of illegal hotel buildings belong to the near and dear ones of politicians.  The court has already charge-sheeted 33 officials and employees of the MC for “conniving with” hoteliers.