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| Babus allow illegal construction in 'secured zone' | | SMC ignores threat to airport security | | FOLLOW UP
Early Times Report
srinagar, Sept 17: Even as military strategists apprehend a major threat to security at Srinagar airport here due to ongoing illegal construction of huge shopping mall in the "secured zone", the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) continues to support the violations in lieu of millions as bribe.
Taking undue advantage of the unrest in Kashmir, some senior officials of the SMC have allowed builders to undertake massive illegal constructions, in brazen violation of the Master Plan, while huge bribe is involved in the deals. One such mega construction is being undertaken exactly at the drop gate of the highly fortified airport in the summer capital.
The violation has been so brazen that the area owned by the Indian Air force shares a common wall with the upcoming mall, which compromises with the security bandobast in the area. Around 100 shops are coming up in the first, and second floor of the mall. A senior official said a few years back some shops were constructed but in the ground floor of the said land.
"Though the shops in the ground floor were constructed illegally, they didn't pose that big a threat to the security. But the ongoing construction in the first and the second floor have worsened our fears of a militant strike in the area as all our installations are visible from the upper floors of the mall," explained a senior official pleading anonymity.
He said there is also a threat to the movement of passengers particularly VIPs driving to the Airport. "Militants can use this building to target the VIPs very easily... This shopping complex is a total compromise with the security of the sensitive area in can tell you that with confidence. We fail we understand why the civil administration has been silent though we raised our serious concerns before the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and the SMC Commissioner," the official said adding the Indian Air force and the Airport Authority of India picked up the matter with the concerned.
Officials said the matter was even brought into the notice of the office of Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, who is also the Housing Minister, but that no action has been taken yet. An official in the SMC confirmed that the matter has come their notice. "The illegal construction falls in the secured zone and could be demolished easily without any resistance but the problem is that our higher-ups have grabbed over Rs fifty lakh for allowing the construction so they want to be silent," the official said.
"Infact," he said "six shopping complexes are coming up illegally in the area upto Railway Bridge Humhama on the Airport Road." The official, who shared pictures of these complexes with Early Times said two major complexes have come up on the right side of the Airport road near Humhama crossing whereas two shopping complexes are coming up near the Railway bridge. "Babus are grabbing over Rs two crores from such deals on the Airport Road alone because no such construction could otherwise be allowed in the area," the official said.
When contacted the Chief Enforcement Officer SMC said it was difficult to prevent illegal constructions in the prevalent circumstances but that the corporation was trying its lot. Despite repeated attempts, the SMC Commissioner Bashir Ahmed Khan didn't respond to phone calls.
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