CVO seeks status report of 15,000 city buildings

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 27

The Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of the Department of Local Government has ordered the Municipal Corporation (MC) to take required action regarding a complaint about the status of thousands of buildings in the city.

Local Bodies Minister, in June 2020, had written to the MC and sought a comparative report about the building maps approved by the MC and the new electricity connections issued by the PSPCL from 2016 to 2019.

Following the orders, the MC officials had prepared a report that there were around 15,000-16,000 constructions that had not been issued notices. However, no proper survey was conducted to check the actual number of illegal constructions in the city as per sources.

Now, the CVO has given directions to the MC to submit a detailed and clear report regarding these 15,000-16,000 buildings. The CVO wrote to the MC Commissioner to take action that the assessment of compounding fee of these buildings be done and it should be deposited in the MC’s account. He also gave directions for the removal of the non-compoundable violations in the buildings as per the law.

The CVO also told the Municipal Corporation to submit a report about the building inspectors, assistant town planners and the municipal town planner concerned, who were responsible to keep a check when these 15,000-16,000 buildings were constructed in all four zones. The CVO also sought action taken report on these buildings till date.

City-based RTI activist Rohit Sabharwal had earlier complained that there could be a huge difference between the number of new electricity connections and the approved building plans in the city.

‘No proper survey done’

• Local Bodies Minister, in June 2020, had written to the MC and sought a comparative report about the building maps approved by the MC and the new electricity connections issued by the PSPCL from 2016 to 2019.
• Following the orders, the MC officials had prepared a report that there were around 15,000-16,000 constructions that had not been issued notices. However, no proper survey was conducted to check the actual number of illegal constructions in the city as per sources.