Residential buildings fast changing into commercial structures deep inside residential colonies is a growing menace that has gone unnoticed and consequently does not head to any dead end either in twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu or major towns of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division particularly district headquarters. Surprisingly the intensity of changing residential buildings into commercial structures is much higher in Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir and more so during peak summer months when the tourist season is also at it’s peak in Kashmir valley. Though Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is consistently demolishing illegal constructions in the non stop demolition drives across Srinagar City but it does not contemplate any action against those changing residential buildings into commercial structures deep inside residential colonies in violation of building permission norms. People change residential buildings into commercial structures obviously without fresh building permissions required for changing such residential buildings into commercial structures under existing building permission norms as building permission norms don’t mandate the top civic body or even the municipal bodies of towns to grant permissions for changing residential buildings into commercial structures. Either the authorities of Srinagar Municipal Corpration (SMC) do not willfully take notice of unauthorised conversion of residential buildings into commercial structures or the growing menace is not catching their attention under broad day light. Shockingly the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has even allowed constructions of hotels deep inside residential colonies and most of such hotels are hired for accommodation purposes by several Government Department.
In view of the growing public outcry against the increasing trend of changing residential buildings into commercial structures it is for the Principal Secretary of the Housing & Urban Development Department to take immediate notice of the increasing trend of changing residential buildings into commercial structures in twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and major townsof Jammu & Kashmir and ensure strict action against both the violators and as well as the officials showing laxity in actions against those changing residential buildings into commercial structures deep inside residential colonies .
Unfortunately responsibilities are not fixed on authorities responsible for such illegal commercial constructions deep inside residential colonies. Irrefutable fact is that when some government offices are run in such unauthorisedly built commercial buildings buildings deep inside residential colonies it causes a huge inconvenience to the hapless residents of those particular residential colonies but concerned authorities of the concerned government departments neither pay any heed to the growing public outcry on this count nor bother to take care of the huge conveniences caused to the concerned populations because of the movement of officials and government vehicles in such residential colonies. At times conflicts arise in residential colonies and even land the warring parties in police stations. This is a dangerous trend which has created a housing mess across Srinagar city and surprisingly the situation is no more different in major towns of Kashmir valley where municipal bodies are authorised to regulate construction of residential and commercial constructions . In view of the growing public outcry against the increasing trend of changing residential buildings into commercial structures it is for the Principal Secretary of the Housing & Urban Development Department to take immediate notice of the increasing trend of changing residential buildings into commercial structures in twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and major townsof Jammu & Kashmir and ensure strict action against both the violators and as well as the officials showing laxity in actions against those changing residential buildings into commercial structures deep inside residential colonies .
