Sidhu personally gets case registered against builders

Punjab Local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday declared that he would himself tour the state to inspect all the buildings are constructed with proper approval and licence.

The announcement came in the wake of recent Peer Muchalla building collapse incident for which Sidhu himself got a case registered against the builders responsible for construction of an “illegal” building.

A three-storied building of a housing society, nearing completion, collapsed at Peer Muchalla in Zirakpur past week. Taking serious note of the incident, Sidhu visited the Zirakpur police station and got the case registered against the builders while handing over all the documents pertaining to the building to Mohali SSP Kuldeep Chahal.

Sidhu, interacting with the mediapersons on the spot, said that as per the Department’s record, out of the six collapsed buildings, the licence of five buildings had expired in October 2017 while license of the remaining building expired on March 31, 2018, which makes it clear that the builders had constructed the buildings “without certified licence”.

He asked the SSP to register a case against the builder — Pushp Empire, while underlining that the builder needs to get the building design certified from the structural engineer in accordance with the sanctioned plan and this design has to be submitted with completion but this procedure was not followed.

“The builders were constructing flats without approval because the approval was accorded for houses and not the flats,” he said.

Sidhu added, “I have asked for the registration of case against the builders under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for violating the Punjab Municipal Act-2011, building bye-laws.”

“For complete probe into the matter, a four-member committee has been formed headed by the Local Government Department director which has been directed to submit its report in seven days,” said Sidhu adding that the committee also includes Chief Engineer, Town Planner and Executive Officer of the Municipal Council Zirakpur.

He said that after the committee submits its report, nobody found guilty would be spared and strict action would be taken.

Terming Zirakpur incident as a lesson, Sidhu said: “Now, I have decided to conduct a tour of the state to inspect all the buildings and ensure that no building is being constructed without proper approval and licence.”