Indore's illegal penthouses under civic body scanner

The penthouses that top dozens of swanky structures across Indore have come under the scanner. Collector Akash Tripathi has sought zone-wise details of the number of penthouses in the city.

The penthouses that top dozens of swanky structures across the city are under the scanner.

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Collector Akash Tripathi has sought zone-wise details of the number of penthouses in the city - a move that has sent Indore Municipal Corporations (IMC) building permission department officials scurrying for cover.

This is the second missive sent by Tripathi on penthouses in a fortnight, sources said. "The first letter came in around 15 days ago. Two days ago we received a reminder seeking information on action taken so far," said an official who did not wish to be identified for fear of incurring disciplinary action.

IMC City Engineer Harbhajan Singh said the Corporation has begun work on sifting legally-constructed penthouses from those built without obtaining the necessary clearances. "The Bhumi Vikas Niyam (1984) permitted residential usage on one-third of the terrace floor with the remaining area to be used as machine rooms, tool rooms or other services."

Such structures, he added, were essentially legal but admitted that in many cases the entire area began to be sued for residential purposes in the course of time.

The Corporation has initiated intermittent crackdowns against, mostly, commercial usage of penthouses.