E-Paper
'40% flats in the area are illegal'
Day after the building collapse in Shalimar Garden, Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) officials said nearly 40% of the flats built on single-unit plots in the area were illegal.
Day after the building collapse in Shalimar Garden, Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) officials said nearly 40% of the flats built on single-unit plots in the area were illegal.
"We have no survey on the exact number of unauthorised constructions by private builders," said GDA vice-chairman Narendra Kumar Chaudhary on Sunday. "But by our estimate nearly 40% of such buildings in Shalimar Garden and 25% in Ghaziabad city are unauthorised constructions."
The worst affected is the trans-Hindan area, including Shalimar Garden and Rajendra Nagar, he said.
Single unit plots are meant to have single owners. "But private builders construct three- or four-storeyed houses, comprising multiple flats, on these plots," Chaudhary said. "The flats get registered in the name of individual buyers, which is illegal."
The practice is putting huge pressure on the infrastructure of the area. The builders vanish after selling the flats and the buyers are left to suffer.
"We have been raising our voice against private-builders, who cannot operate without GDA cooperation," said Mohan Sangwan from the Confederation of trans-Hindan Residents' Welfare Associations. "The GDA promised to take steps but no action is visible on the ground."
GDA officials admit such flats should be denied water and electricity connections at the outset. But in the absence of regular supervision, not much is done. "We act only when we receive any information or complaints," Chaudhary said.
