There is nothing new in demolition of illegal constructions by twin civic bodies the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Lakes Conservation & Management Authority (LCMA) but what should have been new in demolition of illegal and unauthorised constructions is the action against the officers allowing illegal constructions in their concerned areas of Jurisdiction. Punishing the beneficiaries of illegal constructions just to make them victims and not the regulators of both residential and commercial constructions virtually becoming sponsors of unauthorised constructions has neither reduced nor totally stopped the decades old practice of illegal constructions and their demolitions in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley. Even the municipal committees of several towns demolish illegal constructions without looking into the involvement of their own officials in allowing dozens of such illegal construction in their concerned areas of jurisdiction. Unfortunately authorities of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) and Municipal bodies of several towns blame people for illegal and unauthorised constructions without looking into the involvement of their own officials in permitting such illegal and unauthorised constructions in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley. While people follow procedures for process of building permissions in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) and Municipal bodies of several towns, the authorities don’t follow any procedure in demolishing illegal and unauthorised constructions in any area of Srinagar City or in any area of any major town of Kashmir Valley.
The top brass of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) waking up to identify the corrupt people in the top civic body only after action by top anti-graft body J&K ACB shows that there is no vigil over the actions of the officers and responses from the people in Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). Curbing corruption in regulation of both residential and commercial constructions is as good a duty of the heads of departments and controlling officers of autonomous bodies like SMC, LCMA, and municipal bodies of towns as it is of J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (J&K ACB) the top anti-graft body of J&K Government.
Interestingly after the arrest of a ward officer for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs50,000 by J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) recently the City Municipal Commissioner Athar Amir Khan recently suspended two more ward officers and several building inspectors of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and also ordered inquiry against them. While J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (J&K ACB) the top anti-graft body should have come to know about corruption from the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) but unfortunately SMC top brass has come to know about corruption in the top civic body from the J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (J&K ACB). The top brass of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) waking up to identify the corrupt people in the top civic body only after action by top anti-graft body J&K ACB shows that there is no vigil over the actions of the officers and responses from the people in Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). Curbing corruption in regulation of both residential and commercial constructions is as good a duty of the heads of departments and controlling officers of autonomous bodies like SMC, LCMA, and municipal bodies of towns as it is of J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (J&K ACB) the top anti-graft body of J&K Government.
