| 5 years on, Jammu faces discrimination in grant of permission for buildings with floor area over 20,000 sq feet | | 14 NOCs required in Jammu while 7 in Srinagar for getting building permissions | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 5: Contrary to the spirit of “Ease of Doing Business”, Jammu region has been facing open discrimination in taking permission to construct big building complexes whose floor area spread over 20,000 square feet the building, an entrepreneur has to take No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from 14 government departments/offices while in Srinagar city, the same entrepreneur has to take NOC from only 7 govt entities since last five years.
To construct a commercial building complex having floor area above 20,000 square feet, people desirous of making commercial constructions in Jammu city have to first take permission from Urban Transport Environment Improvement Committee (UTEIC).
To get UTEIC’s clearance, a Jammu based entrepreneur has to take No Objection Certificate (NOC) from seven offices which includes for which they have to take seven more permissions viz-a-viz permission from Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Jammu Development Authority (JDA) Vice Chairman, Member Secretary Chief Town Planner, Commissioner Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), Inspector General of Police Traffic, IGP Police and Superintending Engineer Public Works Department.
After taking permission of UTEIC, the Jammu based entrepreneur has to take building permission from Building Operation Controlling Authority (BOCA), for which against he has to take No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from seven other departments/entities which includes Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Assistant Commissioner Nazool, Chief Town Planner, Sewerage and Drainage wing, Public Health Engineering dept, Power Department and Fire Services.
However to take up constructions of commercial complexes in Srinagar city, the desired people have to take permission from BOCA as the UTEIC is non-existent in Srinagar city since the year 2016.
On 14/1/2016, the office of Chief Town Planner Town Planning Organization Kashmir, who happens to be the Member Secretary of UTEIC, sent an official communication to the then Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation, directing the latter to forward the building permission of two new hotel blocks, directly to BOCA rather than sending the same to UTEIC.
Giving reference to various official communiqués over the UTEIC, a paragraph in the letter explains the abolition of the body and it reads, “....you (SMC Commissioner) have also refer to letter number Div. Com/Dev/16/2871 dated 24/12/2013, wherein Divisional Commissioner Chairman UTEIC-has recommended the abolition of UTEIC and empowerment of local authorities. The High Court in the case of Iftikar Sadiq has passed an order pronouncing UTEIC as a non statutory body.....”.
It further reads, “I am directed to advise you that the case under scrutiny may be disposed-off by BOCA at its level under the provisions of Srinagar Master Plan”.
A senior official of JMC informed Early Times that since the year 2016, building permissions in Srinagar city have been directly given by BOCA while UTEIC has no role but in Jammu city, the UTEIC has been still existing after its abolition in Srinagar city. “Due to the extra burden of taking permission from UTEIC, people have been facing it hard to raise buildings or new commercial complexes in Jammu city. It is beyond imagination as why two rules are still applicable in two capital cities of a Union Territory”, the official said, adding that it was totally a discriminatory policy, which should be abolished without any further delay.
Mayor Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) Chander Mohan Gupta accepted that the existence of UTEIC type body only in Jammu, spoke volume of discrimination with Jammu and assured that Corporation would soon take a decision to abolish such discriminatory provision.
Gupta said that on Monday JMC would hold a meeting, in which a decision might be taken regarding doing away with UTEIC. |
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