Interference barb from municipality - Stop-work order to hill buildings

An under-construction building on Nehru Road in Darjeeling which was issued
a notice. Picture by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 2: The Darjeeling district administration has asked five under-construction buildings to stop work as doubts arose over their legality, a move which was described by the Darjeeling municipality as an interference in its functioning.

Amar Singh Rai, chairman, Darjeeling municipality, today said: "Over the past few days, the Darjeeling subdivisional officer's office has been issuing notices to various under-construction buildings. They have also sought a report from the municipality on these constructions. Overseeing construction is the job of the municipality and we believe the move is an interference in the municipality's jurisdiction."

Sources in the district administration said the notices had been issued in the past three-four days to five under-construction buildings in the Lal Dhiki area, Nehru Road and Mall Road. The notices were sent for alleged violation of the 11.5m height restriction and deviation from the building plan sanctioned by the Darjeeling municipality, and dangerous construction.

Darjeeling district magistrate Anurag Srivastava said: "There is no question of interference. Section 133 of the CrPC empowers a magistrate to first stop construction if the building poses threat to human lives and then dismantle a structure if the need arises."

Sources said a suo motu case had been first registered by the Darjeeling Sadar police against the five buildings and after that, the notices were issued.

A hearing on the buildings' legality is scheduled to take place on September 10 and if the promoters can prove that all norms are adhered to, the work could resume.

The chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, is unhappy with the construction of high-rises in Darjeeling.

On August 17, Bimal Gurung had directed the municipality not to pull down any structure whose construction had already been completed. He also instructed the civic body to allow construction till a height of 14.5 meters.

According to the Bengal Municipality Act, the height restriction in Darjeeling stands at 11.5 meters.

Gurung meeting

Bimal Gurung called on Union minister of state for home, Kiren Rijiju, in New Delhi on Wednesday. "We have been informed that the next tripartite meeting on the GTA will take place on September 15," said Binay Tamang, assistant general secretary of the Morcha.