MC seals five hotels near Clock Tower for building violations
Also collects ₹53 lakh as composition fee from other defaulters found with compound violations
In a major crackdown on hotels violating building bylaws, officials of the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) on Thursday sealed five hotels near Clock Tower in the city. The MC also recovered ₹53 lakh from the hoteliers as composition fee.
During the exercise, police force was deployed with the MC team comprising officials of the building branch of all the four zones.
According to the information, in 2018, a petition was filed by RTI activist Rohit Sabharwal in the Punjab and Haryana high court against 109 hotels violating building bylaws. The hearing of the case is scheduled for next week.
The MC officials said that out of 109 hotels, 57 fall under Zone A of the civic body. Of these, 30 have done compoundable violations which can be regularised on payment of fee, while other violations cannot be regularised.
Assistant town planner (ATP) Harvinder Singh said that 30 hotels were inspected on Thursday, out of which, two hotels were closed. While five hotels have been sealed by the MC officials, who have also recovered ₹53 lakh as part payments of composition fee from other defaulters. A drive would also be conducted against hotels with non-compoundable violations in the coming days, he added.
MC official fined ₹5k
The high court has also imposed a fine of ₹5,000 on the concerned MC official for failing to submit an affidavit regarding the status report of 14 hospitals for failing to make parking arrangements.
In 2015, a contempt petition was filed by Sabharwal in the high court regarding parking violations done by the hospitals in the city.