Virus hotspot textile shop faces building violation charges

Coimbatore: Ever since it became a Covid-19 cluster, one of the textile showrooms at Balan Nagar near Masakalipalayam has been finding its going tough.
Two weeks after the city corporation lodged a police complaint against the showroom for triggering virus spread by flouting government guidelines to contain the same, it has been now issued a show cause notice for building violations.
A source said renovation works were being carried out at the showroom building without obtaining the civic body’s approval.
The city corporation has ordered the showroom owner to immediately stop the unauthorized construction and demolish the same within seven days or by July 21. The four-storeyed is situated on 5,608sqft land.
Under Section 296 (2) of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation Act, 1987, the shop owner has three days or 72 hours to explain why the new portion should not be demolished.
The showroom was sealed on June 24 for violation of social distancing norms. However, the very next day it was reopened, forcing authorities to seal it again on June 26. Two days later (June 28), 18 employees and the owner of the showroom tested positive for the virus, which they contracted from the owner’s friend, who was positive and visited them often from Ondipudur. The cluster spread after some of their customers and the employees’ contacts at their place of residence began testing positive.
The customers had also infected their family members. The cluster has now spread to an automation factory in Arasur.
On July 1, east zone assistant commissioner of city corporation M Selvan had lodged a police complaint against the showroom for causing virus spread by flouting government guidelines.