AAI letter highlights NOC violations

The non-insistence of airport NOC (Non-Objection Certificate) for buildings in the Corporation area until the coming into force of the Kerala Municipal Building Rules (KMBR), 2013, has now become an issue with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) sending a letter regarding buildings that have violated height restrictions or have failed to submit NOC.

The buildings on the list for which NOC have not been submitted include high-rise apartments, government institutions, hotels, and educational institutions.

Meeting

The local body has been asked to produce the date of permit and date of occupancy of the buildings in a meeting to be chaired by the Chief Secretary soon.

The AAI had sent a letter to the District Collector in 2016, seeking proper action on these buildings.

Another list includes buildings that penetrate the obstacle limitation surfaces around the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The Mother of God Church in Vettukad is part of the list, as the height of the building, including the Cross, is more than that was specified when obtaining NOC from the AAI.

As per the letter from the AAI, the building owners without NOC have to apply for NOC for height clearance through an online application system for evaluation an officer, to check whether these structures penetrate the obstacle limitation surfaces around the airport. Until such time, they have to be treated as unauthorised constructions.

The city Corporation has sent notices to those mentioned in the letter.

In the case of Heera constructions, the letter says that NOC was provided for only thirteen of their buildings. On further enquiry, the applicant disclosed that all other projects were not having NOC and that they were in the process of obtaining the same.

In the case of Artech, only fourteen buildings have NOC. The letter says that it has not responded to any queries thereafter from the AAI.

“Airport NOC was not considered mandatory until the KMBR 2013 came into force. That is perhaps why there is a large number of buildings without NOC. Without it being mandatory, we could not have insisted.

In the case of government buildings, only plan approval was required from the Corporation,” said a Corporation official.