E-Paper
Illegal construction: Ludhiana MC chief seeks formation of state-level technical committee
With the civic body facing flak over an inquiry report that said 57,862 illegal buildings had mushroomed in the city between 2016 to 2020, municipal corporation commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal recommended the formation of a state-level technical committee to probe the matter
With the civic body facing flak over an inquiry report that said 57,862 illegal buildings had mushroomed in the city between 2016 to 2020, municipal corporation commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal recommended the formation of a state-level technical committee to probe the matter.
Writing to the local bodies’ department principal secretary, the MC chief on Friday said show-cause notices had already been served to 62 building inspectors and 47 assistant town planners (ATP) who had been deputed at the Ludhiana municipal corporation between 2016 and 2020. “As technical officials of the Ludhiana building branch are involved in the case, it is recommended that the local bodies’ department form a state-level committee to probe into the matter,” he wrote.
The report was based on a comparative analysis of power connections issued by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) over four years and the building plans approved by the municipal corporation during the same period.
An MC official, requesting anonymity, said local bodies minister Brham Mohindra had marked an inquiry in the matter, and a city-based RTI (Right to Information) activist had also filed a complaint with the vigilance department. “So, the department has initiated this exercise to save its skin,” he said. In the show-cause notices, the employees concerned have been given seven days to submit a reply. A few employees have retired, while the contracts of some have expired.
Councillors and MC officials claim that the report was flawed as it had failed to account for multiple power connections in one building. The SAD and BJP had termed the illegal-construction notices issued absurd, due to which the MC had to stop issuing notices after receiving flak from the public, said the official.
The report, which was submitted by additional commissioner Rishipal Singh in October, said that the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had issued 76,770 power connections between 2016-2020. However, the civic body had approved plans for only 7,467 buildings. Challans have been issued against 11,441 building owners, while no action has been taken against the remaining 57,862 buildings.
