Shopping complex built without plan approval sealed in Tirunelveli

Tirunelveli corporation officials sealing a shop at Melappalayam in Tirunelveli on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: SHAIKMOHIDEEN A

The Tirunelveli Corporation has started cracking the whip against buildings constructed in violation of the approved plan and constructions made without obtaining any permission from the urban local body. A shopping complex with seven shops in Melapalayam was sealed by the officials on Wednesday.

“It is only a beginning as the Corporation’s operation against unauthorised construction in the urban civic body will get intensified in the days to come as per the instructions of the Commissioner,” revealed a senior Corporation official, who was part of the team that sealed the shopping complex in Melapalayam.

The officials said the shopping complex owner did not apply for any building plan approval and hence the Corporation issued notice to the owner immediately after the construction of the basement asking him to apply for approval and continue the construction. However, the owner apparently preferred to ignore the notice and completed the construction. Even as the shopping complex was ready for inauguration, the Corporation officials have sealed the building.

“There is no building plan approval for this shopping complex. The property owner has not provided any space for parking vehicles of his customers and these vehicles – both bikes and cars – have to be parked on the road which will badly affect the free flow of vehicular traffic. Moreover, this is violation of the norms stipulated by the corporation for the construction of any shopping complex. Hence, it has been sealed today,” said another officer.

Sources in the Corporation said the urban civic body was closely monitoring the buildings being built under its jurisdiction without any plan approval even as the district high-level monitoring committee for unauthorised constructions was also doing the same work at the district-level. While the trivial violations are let-off with fine, major violations will lead to demolition or alteration of the building as per the plan.

“Most of the buildings built after 2019 in the Corporation have serious violations or built without any plan approval. So, these structures have come under scrutiny and appropriate action,” said the sources.