ISHTIYAQ AHMAD
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Aug 7: With the illegal constructions coming up brazenly along the Bemina bypass here in Srinagar, the local residents suggested that the government should take action against those officials who were posted there when illegal constructions came up.
They said unless the government takes action and removes corrupt people from service, nothing will fall in line.
The local residents in the area told Early Times that illegal constructions are coming up brazenly on the main bye pass Bemina. Multi-storied complexes, hospitals have been constructed near Bemina bypass, where officially commercial constructions stand banned.
While at places political intervention plays the main role to facilitate illegal constructions, at other places corruption rules the roost. “On the bypass, for example, the SMC and SDA are allowing construction for obvious reasons,” said a social activist, adding that even though the matter was brought into the notice of the concerned, no action was taken.
The SMC officials said the complaints were being looked into but failed to give any convincing reply.
Sources said that besides many illegal structures having sprouted up, there have been many such instances in the recent months, with the Srinagar Municipal Corporation turning a blind eye to them. “Dozens of fresh commercial spaces are seen rearing their heads in the bemina bypass,” sources maintained.
We were expecting that the LG Manoj Sinha administration will take serious steps to stop illegal constructions and also take action against the officials who over the years have been involved in the illegal constructions, ,” said one of the local residents here in Bemina Srinagar.
Housing colonies in the Bemina area were developed for residential purposes and no commercial building permissions were accorded in these colonies other than the area earmarked for commercial activity by the concerned authorities.
However, sources said that the majority of these housing colonies have acquired the status of a commercial hub having big shopping centres of every type.
“As per the Master Plan of the Housing Colony, in every block and sector there is provision for minimarket. However, a few years back when authority of law and order had started gradually diminishing, the residential colony started turning into a hub of commercial activities,” sources maintained.
Many reports were prepared in the past to identify all illegal commercial conversions in order to take action but nothing has happened.
Enforcement wings exist in all agencies like Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Srinagar Development Authority, Housing Board etc. but a kind of game goes on in between these agencies wherein they keep shifting the blame from one to other,” sources maintained.
A senior official, on condition of anonymity, said: “Many issues are involved, including laxity on part of the enforcement agencies. And then there is political interference. Though a number of notices are issued to violators, people go to court and get a stay.” |
