Acting on a complaint against a hotel functioning in the notified residential areas, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has served notices to the municipal corporation (MC) commissioner, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Punjab State Electricity Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the owner of the hotel and principal secretary of local government department.
Tamanna Maini, a resident of Prem Nagar near Civil Lines, in her petition said a hotel has been built right opposite her home, adding that she had made repeated complaints to the authorities while the construction was underway to no avail.
Maini said with the hotel hosting events such as weddings every other day, the residents living in the neighbourhood were facing the brunt of both noise and air pollution. Noting that Prem Nagar was a notified residential as per the the city’s master plan, the complainant said no commercial activity should be allowed here.
The commotion caused in view of such large gatherings, the petitioner said, has also resulted in traffic snarls becoming commonplace in the area — further inconveniencing the residents.
The same has also resulted in people residing in the neighbourhood struggling to find proper parking space for their vehicles, she said, adding that routine activities and her children’s studies had been affected amid the constant disturbance.
{{/usCountry}}The same has also resulted in people residing in the neighbourhood struggling to find proper parking space for their vehicles, she said, adding that routine activities and her children’s studies had been affected amid the constant disturbance.
{{/usCountry}}The petition went on to allege that the hotel’s transformer had also been shifted into a public park sans the requisite permission from the district forest office and that the boundary wall of the park had been damaged in the process. It also alleged that the hotel lacked proper arrangement for wastewater and solid waste management.
In her petition, Maini also stated that the PPCB, the civic body and PSPCL have failed to address her concerns.
Two month deadline for submissions
Hearing the petition, the bench noted that the points made by the applicant raised questions related to the environment arising out of the implementation of the enactments and directed the authorities concerned to file their response within two months.
MC seals 10 hotels in Jawahar Nagar
Initiating action against illegal buildings in various parts of the city, municipal corporation teams, in presence of police, on Wednesday sealed 10 hotels in Jawahar Nagar camp area near bus stand. The action comes as the hotels were in violation of the building bylaws.
Civic body officials said that a petition had been filed against these illegal hotels in the high court in the past. Following this, the department issued directions to take strict action against the violators.
As per MC officials, a majority of the hotel owners have failed to leave proper parking spaces or get the building plans approved from the MC. The hotel owners had failed to show up despite notices being issued the past.
Officials said that more such violations have been identified in the area and action will be taken against them soon. They added that residents should get building plans approved from MC before commencing construction work and should follow all construction regulations to save themselves from any actions.