Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 15: Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu has sought permission from the Government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and order time-bound probe into all illegal constructions.
Mattu said that there has been an unprecedented spurt in unauthorized commercial constructions as well as deviations from authorised permissions in the last six months in Srinagar. He said he now formally seeks the constitution of SIT and a time-bound probe into illegal and unauthorised commercial constructions in Srinagar.
“I am writing to Chief Secretary, J&K Government seeking constitution of an SIT and a time-bound probe”, he said.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on December 8 registered a case against the officers of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) in illegal construction of a restaurant at Rajbagh area of Srinagar. The case was registered against the officers and officials of Corporation and beneficiaries in an illegal construction case.
It may be mentioned here that the office of the Joint Commissioner Planning Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Ghulam Hassan Mir, was locked by the Deputy Mayor, Perwaiz Qadri, last month after the former refused to grant building permission in violation of Srinagar Master Plan.
An official said that some of the officials have given full freedom to the outside brokers to indulge in the internal affairs of the corporation, and who have done better in spoiling the image of SMC, while as the commoners are suffering on several fronts.
He said that the non-official brokers are working in the Corporation in league with official brokers who work inside the SMC. “They are also using social media platforms to further their interests and are blackmailing the officials who don’t fall in line”, he said.
“The easy money brokers get by obtaining a building permissions force them to assault officials of the SMC who resist the illegal practices”, he said.
The official said that these brokers in league with some SMC officials are hampering the work and sometimes files go missing as the mafia has deep roots in the Corporation.
It is worth to be mentioned here that recently two officials of the SMC including JCP and Chief Accounts Officer were assaulted by two ward officers and contractors recently. The JCP had alleged that they were forcing him to grant illegal building permissions, while as the CAO also said that he was being compelled to release bills without official approval.
CAO later filed a complaint in the office of the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir who then ordered an inquiry into the matter-the conclusion of which is yet unknown, and the JCP filed a complaint against those individuals at a local police station.
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