SRINAGAR: A commercial building has been constructed up to multiple storeys despite multiple demolition drives carried out by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).

Situated at Parimpora area of Srinagar, the commercial building has kept rising despite clear-cut orders from the SMC forbidding the construction, and despite the municipal body having demolished the construction several times. An eyewitness said that the owner of the building halts its construction for some days, but then starts it again once the fear of demolition is over.

“This cycle goes on,” said the eyewitness. “The SMC did come for demolition, but it has not deterred the owner from stopping the work.”

When the builder was first told not to go ahead with the construction, the building had just the ground floor. Months have passed since then, multiple demolitions have taken place, but the structure has gone up to the multiple storeys, the eyewitness said.

“It remains a mystery how it happened,” he added.

As per the municipal laws, the ward officer of the area is supposed to monitor the construction and act promptly whenever any unauthorised construction is found. In this case, the ward officer has taken the issue to the higher-ups, but not to any avail.

“We are bound by the law. Have taken all the steps required by the law,” said Muhammad Maqbool, the ward officer of the area. “At the same time, we cannot stop the construction if it goes on at night. What can we do about it? But since it has been found that the violators are not giving up, police have been taken into the loop. No construction would take further.”

Chief Enforcement Officer of SMC, Mudasir Bandey, said that they have taken the issue into congnisance.

“The law will take its own course,” Banday said. “Given the status of the said construction, only a part of it was supposed to be disallowed, but we have put a bar on the entire construction.”

Junaid Nabi Bazaz