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16 booked for illegal construction in Bisrakh
Noida: In a crackdown against illegal construction, Greater Noida authority has filed eight complaints on August 31 and September 1, in which 16 developers have
Noida: In a crackdown against illegal construction, Greater Noida authority has filed eight complaints on August 31 and September 1, in which 16 developers have been booked for unauthorised construction in Jalalpur village in Bisrakh.
PP Mishra, assistant manager, Greater Noida authority, filed the complaints at the Bisrakh police station. In the complaint, he said a group of developers have constructed multi-storeyed buildings in the village without approval from the authority, and this was affecting the area’s planned development.
“These buildings are unsafe to live in and a mishap may take place anytime. This may lead to loss of life and valuables. These developers are selling flats to common people by saying the project is in a residential area. But in reality, they (builders) are functioning like a gang and developing flats on farming land,” the FIR states.
“Builders are selling property to people in violation of the building by-laws and it is also affecting the government exchequer. The map and layout of these buildings are not approved by the authority. This is also a violation of Section 10 of the UP Industrial Area Development Act 1976,” he said in the complaint. Earlier, the authority had filed several such complaints against developers in Shahberi, where a twin building collapse had killed nine persons in July 2018.
Manoj Kumar Pathak, station house officer, Bisrakh police station, said some developers and farmers have constructed multi-storeyed buildings in the village. “The authority has complained that these developers have not gotten clearance. We have registered FIRs against them and launched an investigation. We will soon arrest them,” he said.
Last week, Noida police constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate cases registered against illegal projects in Shahberi. The Gautam Budh Nagar police has also designated an inspector Pradeep Tripathi to head the team.
In leasehold properties, the authority allots land and the developer proposes the development layout plan. The authority scrutinises the layout plan and suggests changes, if required, before its approval. The construction starts and the authority officials conduct surprise inspections to ensure the development is done as per the building bylaws. Once the project is completed, the authority issues completion certificates and the residents move into the flats.
However, developers on freehold properties just skip all these steps and start construction without layout approval. The quality check of construction material also goes for a toss. The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Fourth Amendment) Manual 2016 says that even on freehold property, the layout has to be approved by the authority. The structures on freehold properties should have maximum 1.8 FAR (floor area ratio). Buildings on such plots should have a maximum height of 15 metres or three floors only.
Earlier gram panchayats were empowered to approve development plans in the village. But in 2015, the UP government abolished elections to panchayat in Gautam Budh Nagar and empowered authorities to carry out planned development in their respective areas.
