“Even after the takeover by the newly elected Government people are allowed to construct even hotels and shops deep inside the residential colonies both in cities and towns in violation of the standing building permission norms across Jammu & Kashmir.”
While some of the good old residential colonies have been already changed into commercial hubs in the city centre areas in both the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and most of the good old major towns in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division, the fast ending trend of renting out residential houses to Government departments for running their subordinate offices and the private parties for accommodation purposes deep inside residential colonies heads to no dead end in twin capital cities and major towns of the both Kashmir Valley and as well Jammu division. Even after the takeover by the newly elected Government people are allowed to construct even hotels and shops deep inside the residential colonies both in cities and towns in violation of the standing building permission norms across Jammu & Kashmir. Unfortunately public grievances against commercialisation of residential colonies and construction of commercial structures including hotels, shops, preparatory schools and polyclinics deep inside residential colonies with the blessings of the concerned authorities of municipalities of cities and towns even without proper building permissions are not taken as seriously as they should have been taken for the purposes of immediate action. Had public grievances against the use of residential houses for commercial purposes and construction of commercial structures deep inside residential colonies in the twin capital cities and major towns of both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division been taken serious by the competent authorities of the concerned municipalities, the intensity of never ending process of commercialisation of residential colonies would have been reduced to a greater extent in cities and towns in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Demolishing illegal structures built for residential purposes in selected pockets of the twin capital cities won’t in any way reduce the intensity of the ongoing commercialisation of residential colonies anywhere in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir.
“The housing and urban development department exercising administrative control over municipalities of cities and towns could have at least set a precedence of seeking detailed reports about both the approved building permissions and as well as violation of building permission norms from all the municipalities of all cities and towns of both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division on monthly basis. A better system of building permission laws for regulating the construction of commercial constructions and use of residential houses for commercial purpose deep inside residential colonies is obviously the only way out.”
While illegal structures built for residential purposes in cities and towns are demolished at short notices in short time, the commercial structures including hotels, shops, preparatory schools and polyclinics built deep inside residential colonies in cities and towns even without sanction of building permissions by the competent authorities are surprisingly left untouched in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Though newly elected Government was expected to enforce building permission laws more stringently in both the twin capital cities and major towns across Jammu & Kashmir but unfortunately a casual approach shown in the enforcement of building permission laws during last two months by the newly elected Government does not end the endless trend of intense commercial activities anywhere in residential colonies in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir. The housing and urban development department exercising administrative control over the municipalities of cities and towns could have at least set a precedence of seeking detailed reports about both the approved building permissions and as well as violation of building permission norms from all the municipalities of all cities and towns of both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division on monthly basis. A better system of building permission laws for regulating the construction of commercial constructions and use of residential houses for commercial purposed deep inside residential colonies is obviously the only way out.
