The Municipal Corporation has initiated action against shops constructed illegally on JP Nagar Road. A team from the Corporation recently sealed four shops that had been built without obtaining the necessary approved building plans. It is reported that a few weeks ago, the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of the Department of Local Bodies, Punjab, conducted a raid in Jalandhar—accompanied by a team—based on complaints filed by RTI activist Karanpreet Singh. During this operation, dozens of illegal structures that had sprung up across the city over the preceding months were inspected.
The investigation revealed that illegal construction activities in the city were proliferating rapidly due to the negligence of the Building Department within the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. Despite a continuous stream of complaints, no measures were being taken to halt these constructions; consequently, the CVO was compelled to visit Jalandhar personally and issue strict directives to the officials. During the CVO’s visit, the construction of approximately 50 illegal shops was discovered on JP Nagar Road. In this regard, the CVO had also sought a comprehensive report on all illegal structures from the Corporation officials; however, fully concrete action on this matter has yet to be realized.
Nevertheless, action has now commenced regarding some of the specific cases that were investigated following the complaints. In line with this initiative, the Municipal Corporation’s team has sealed four illegal shops located on JP Nagar Road. According to sources, the Municipal Corporation is expected to take strict action against other illegal structures as well in the coming days.
**Fourth Floor Slab Laid on Building Already Sealed by Corporation**
The list of illegal buildings in the city—which had reached the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Department of Local Bodies—included the structure housing ‘Malhotra Chicken Corner,’ situated near Football Chowk and in the vicinity of Bhatia Eye Hospital. Construction work on this particular building has been ongoing for several months. It has come to light that the Municipal Corporation had sealed this illegal structure prior to the arrival of the CVO’s team in Jalandhar. When the vigilance team arrived at the site, this specific building was the very first one they inspected. Officials took photographs and other records at the site; however, due to the building being sealed, they were unable to access the upper floors. Surprisingly, just a few days after the CVO team departed, a fourth concrete slab was laid on the said building. In this regard, RTI activist Karanpreet Singh has lodged a complaint with the Department of Local Bodies and the Chief Vigilance Officer. The complainant alleges that the fourth slab—covering the uppermost section of the sealed building—was laid from the rear side, where a bicycle stand is currently operational. It now remains to be seen what action the Municipal Corporation officials or the CVO team will take against this illegal construction.
