Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 9: The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) today registered a case against top officials of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and a businessman for construction of a huge commercial complex under the garb of residential permission along Apsara Road at Gandhi Nagar.
The JMC officials and the businessman against whom the SVO today registered a FIR included the then Joint Commissioner (Administration) Babu Ram, Satish Khajuria, Chief Enforcement Officer, JMC, Naresh Khajuria, Enforcement Officer, Munish Bhatia and Sidarth Bhatia sons of Madan Mohan Bhatia, residents of opposite Peerbaba, Apsara Road, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu and other unnamed officers/officials of the JMC.
SSP Vigilance Jammu, Rupinder Chalotra said the FIR No. 2/2014 has been registered by the SVO Jammu against the accused officials of the JMC and businessmen of Bhatia Sons for facilitating and raising of construction of a huge commercial structure under the garb of residential permission.
The verifications conducted by the Vigilance Organisation into the allegations revealed that Madan Bhatia, Munish Bhatia and Sidarth Bhatia in nexus with Babu Ram, Satish Khajuria, Naresh Khajuria and other officers/officials of the JMC, Jammu had constructed a big commercial three storeyed structure with basement at Apsara Road opposite Peerbaba, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu in total violation of the sanctioned building plan.
Official sources said the permission bearing No.536/BS/2009 dated 31.07.2009 was actually granted for the residential purpose but under its garb a big building both in terms of area and height with huge basement meant for commercial purpose was constructed by the businessmen in total violations of sanctioned plan, master plan, zoning regulations and building Bye-Laws etc.
The Vigilance investigations further revealed that the JMC officials took no timely action under the rules when the commercial complex was being raised by the businessmen. These officers of the JMC facilitated the beneficiaries in raising three storeyed commercial complex by giving the businessmen sufficient time in not taking the timely action of dismantling commercial construction knowing that the sanctioned plan was issued for residential purpose only.
These officers of the JMC in the notices under Section 7(1) and 7(3) of COBO Act dated 14.08.2012 and 17.12.2012 respectively issued to the beneficiaries deliberately and dishonestly concealed the actual violation to be mentioned in the notices and instead mentioned the violation in vague terms by stating only removal of earth work and construction of the basement and thereby deliberately omitted to show the violation committed by beneficiaries in terms of floor area ratio and height besides that of set back and changing land use from residential to commercial one which facilitated the beneficiaries in getting the non-compoundable violations compounded from J&K Special Tribunal, sources said.
“By acting in this manner the officers/officials of the JMC abused their official position and in league with businessmen conferred undue benefits upon the latter,” they added.
The case FIR No. 2/2014 has been registered in police station Vigilance Organization, Jammu against all the accused under Section 5(1) (d) read with 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120-B RPC for further investigations.
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