The Pauri sub-divisional magistrate has ordered the Pauri municipal board and Homoeopathy department to stop the undergoing illegal constructions. The SDM Pl Shah said that the construction by the municipality along the national highway at the under construction bus station and the construction of shops above the toilet in Agency Chowk has been stopped.
In addition to this, the construction of the homoeopathy department building has also been stopped. The general public opinion is that the Government lands have been encroached by private entities and municipal board in many places, but the administration has largely remained apathetic.
The people state that the district administration seems to have a soft corner for the Pauri municipal board chairman with no action being taken against such work and financial irregularities despite written complaints made by residents of Pauri town and about half a dozen members of the municipal board.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Srinagar division of National Highways Authority to Pauri municipality but the local body had not stopped the construction work along the Kotdwar-Pauri stretch of the national highway at the Pauri bus station. It is learnt that the municipal board is planning to construct few shops along the Kotdwar-Pauri-Srinagar national highway above the Mall Road which is a Public Works Department road. The act of the municipal board without any permission of the NHA is a blatant violation of the rules especially as the permission of the regularoty authority was also not secured.
The regulatory authority officer SDM Pl Shah told The Pioneer that no one can construct without permission and approval to the building map. It is mandatory that the land should be owned by the one constructing the building and the documents of land should be submitted for the permission.
The Executive Engineer PWD provincial division Nirbhay Singh has no information about the construction and cutting of PWD road in Mall Road and no action has been taken against the municipal board by this department. The NHA Srinagar division executive engineer Dhirendra Kumar said that the illegal construction by municipal board will be demolished on the order of the district magistrate.