STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: Five municipal officials were arrested on Thursday by the Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) for allegedly allowing illegal constructions in the state’s summer capital.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation’s (SMC) enforcement officer Mohammad Ashraf Warsi, ward officers Fayaz Ahmad Khan and Bilal Ahmad Baba, and building inspectors Urfan Hussain Joo and Bashir Ahmad Bhat, have been arrested, an SVO official said.
A case has been registered against the officials and some other employees of the municipal corporation, he said, adding the arrests were an outcome of a surprise check by the SVO’s engineering wing.
It has surfaced that they allowed the construction of a hotel behind the Khyber Hospital by violating norms and in connivance with its owner, the official said.
He said against the approved height of 45 feet and area of 2,685 sq feet, the construction’s was found to be 67 feet high and in an area of 3,692.50 sq ft, with some other alterations.
The first floor was approved for stilt parking but the same has been violated by way of changing it into a restaurant and reception, the official said.
Besides, they also allowed construction of a double-storey servants’ quarter without any permission for “pecuniary” gains, he said.
According to case history, FIR 07/2017 was registered under section 5(1)d, 5(2) PC Act Svt, 2006, Section 4-A P. C (Amendment Act-2014) read with Section 109 RPC after it was surfaced that these SMC employees, in connivance with the owner of the Hotel Royal Arabia namely Abdul Majid Matoo, son of Ghulam Ahmad Matoo, resident of Sadribal Srinagar have allowed the illegal construction behind Khyber Hospital at Khayam Colony Srinagar by violating the approved building permission No. 441 of 2013, dated June, 29, 2013, wherein plinth area of the construction was 2685 sfts with height of 45 fts which stands violated to plinth area to 3692.5 sfts and height 67 fts and other alterations, further the first floor was approved for stilt parking and same has been violated by way of changing the same into restaurant and reception. Besides the SMC employees allowed construction of a double storey servants quarter with dimension of 702 sfts, without any permission. The matter is being investigated, the Vigilance sleuths added.
