Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Oct 12: Even as the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is claiming to act tough against the illegal constructions within its limits, several such constructions including deviation from approved sites plan have mushroomed across the city while the authorities act as mute spectators.
The areas where the illegal constructions have come up include Batamaloo, Tattoo Ground, Chanapora, Hyderpora, Jawahar Nagar, Sheikh Bagh Lal Chowk, Baghat Barzulla and several other areas.
As per those who are in the know-how of the matters, there is a commercial building coming up at Batamaloo Bus Stand towards Mominabad road opposite Hamdard hospital which is being constructed in total violations of the norms.
Another construction is going on near Tattoo Ground in Batamaloo, opposite SP Security office which has been termed as illegal while as the officials have turned a blind eye towards the violations.
In Hyderpora from the flyover side, another building is coming up which is not only against the norms and against the Court orders. “The building which is coming up is commercial in nature and is totally against the norms; the issue has been brought into the notice of the concerned but to no avail,” the eyewitnesses said.
Also in Chanapora Byepass near the bridge, another illegal construction is going which has been overlooked by the authorities. The SMC has given permission for the residential construction, but the construction going on is commercial and has deviated from the approved site plan.
In Jawahar Nagar, a commercial structure is coming up near the J&K Bank which has also been termed as illegal; another one is coming up in Sheikh Bagh as well as Baghat Barzulla opposite Wazir Muhammad Khan Masjid. The locals living in these areas said that the SMC has been acting selectively against the violators.
The officials at SMC told Excelsior that they have been acting swiftly on such complaints and have been keeping an eye across the city. They also said that they have carried out several demolitions in Srinagar wherever they received the complaints.
“We have acted against the majority of these cases and the same will continue in future; we have been acting against such violations across the city and are making sure that the constructions being carried out by people are in accordance with the permissions; we have in the last few days also acted against violators who have sought permission for residential structures, but have constructed commercial ones,” the officials said.
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