KOCHI: Express debate topic
From illegal highrises along waterfronts to encroachments in commercial areas, rampant violations of rules have become the norm, rather than an exception, in Kerala. The Supreme Court recently ordered demolition of four apartment complexes for violation of CRZ norms while encroachments prevented fire-tenders from reaching the spot when a fire broke out in Kochi’s busy Broadway Street. Who do you think is responsible for these violations and what’s the best way to deal with them? Should the illegal buildings be demolished or allowed stay? How can we make sure that builders and businesses play by the rules?
T Narayana Das
The apartments in question were constructed over the years under the very nose of various government agencies after getting the necessary approval from various departments. It’s stunning why the rule of the law so far in silent mode came to life following the Supreme Court order. Even if the builder is unaware of the nitty-gritty of laws, the officials are there to implement and find out the drawbacks in the proposals. They shouldn’t have given permission for construction. If any compromises are made by the officials, the full responsibility lies with them only and not with the builder and the occupants.
Vimla Menon
The only way to curb this kind of flouting of rules is to make rules stringent. Deterrent action should be taken against erring officials as well as builders/encroachers. In the case of lesser encroachments, powers should be given to the officials of the corporation or town planning department to demolish such constructions after a short notice, like they did now in Broadway in Kochi. Without deterrent action, nothing can be set right, be it the slackness and negligence of people in authority or of the lawbreakers.
Dr N Harimohan
To weed out the menace of corruption and to bring in hopes of development, honest and strict statesmen with proven track record and vision for the overall development of the state should be appointed in crucial positions.
C Jayakumar, T’Puram
In the initial stages of construction itself, builders, stakeholders and municipal authorities may be well aware of the environmental imbalances which may cause in the region, following the erection of illegal structures. Even now they are trying their level best to gain exemptions for the sake of their selfish needs. The apex court order will come as a precautionary note for encroachers and builder-official nexus.
Suman G Pai, Kanhangad
Due to the greed of people, encroachments and illegal buildings have become the norm of the day. Builders as well as authorities concerned which give sanction for such constructions can’t wash their hands of responsibility. Draconian laws should be brought into force and a system must be devised for their enforcement and execution. Only then wrongdoers will mend their ways.
B VEERAKUMARAN THAMPI, T’Puram
Had the authorities concerned found blatant violation of norms at the construction level itself, the issue would not have aggravated to the stage of demolition. As a precaution, officials must give nod to apartments only if the builder can satisfy all applicable norms. As most of the highrises in the state are yet to follow safety norms, a fire audit on a regular basis is vital.
Demolish illegal buildings without delay
Siddharth Mohan, Alathur
As the mid-August flood taught us the need to conserve and protect nature, illegal buildings must be razed to the ground and must not be allowed to flourish and destroy our biodiversity. In the case of Broadway fire, the fault lies with the district administration which didn’t inspect or penalise these illegal structures and builders at the construction stage. There is no better way to deal with them than to demolish these buildings. The proceedings must be done responsibly within a time frame to make builders and businesses abide by the law.
Criminal syndicates the villain
Narayanaswamy Raman, Parali
There was rampant violation of norms evidently involving powerful criminal syndicates behind the waterfront illegal constructions as well as the Broadway encroachment cases. In the first case, it was the local body which erred in illegally granting permission to the builders to construct multi-storey structures. Builders who carried out the work flouting the stop memo are partners in the crime. The banks on their part blindly advanced loans to the buyers without verifying whether the project was legal or not. Unfortunately, the apex court spared the syndicate and punished the buyers who ignored the legal principle that says ‘ignorance of law is no excuse.’
Govt must bear rehabilitation expenses
K R Parvathy, Melbourne
Developmental parameters for any country lie in the vital truth that norms are never violated when it concerns the construction of buildings or roads. As far as the four apartment complexes in Kochi are concerned, dereliction of duty by officials concerned played the villain. There must be strict guidelines and rigid inspection of such constructions in future. If the structures need to be dismantled, the government should bear the expenses of rehabilitation of the occupants.
Buck stops at officials
O B Nair, Poonithura
The greed of builders has caused indiscriminate encroachment of CRZ, forests and other public spaces creating hazardous environmental implications. The laxity of the agencies which are ought to curb these illegal activities, together with political intervention, provides enough courage to the encroachers. Old roads around our cities, especially in Kochi, are constructed without any foresight, restricting their width, making further expansion impossible. Building plans in the beginning and on completion are inspected by the local bodies and irregularity should be dealt with then and there. Builders should be made accountable for non-compliance of legal obligations and demolition if necessary should be enforced for the sake of generations to come.
Carry out Apex court order in toto
M K G Kaimal, Thrissur
The four illegal apartments in Maradu could not have come up without the tacit, if not explicit, knowledge of authorities concerned. So also the fiasco in Kochi’s Broadway Street, blocking fire tenders from reaching the buildings on infernal flames to save life and property. The Supreme Court’s order should be carried out in toto, unequivocally and immediately. An uncorrupt, and committed enforcement authority should be in place so that such things do not happen again.
Officials throwing norms to the wind
K V Raghuram, Wayanad
Throwing construction norms to the wind by officials concerned is the main reason for highrises mushrooming in the state. The four buildings along the waterfront have deliberately violated norms, owing to greed and corruptible mentality of the officials, who had the responsibility to ensure the orderly and harmonious rise of buildings in Kochi. In a state like Kerala, where there is a dearth for vacant space for construction, there must be more vigil and focus in this regard. The demolition of the buildings will be a huge waste of money – which must be appropriated from the builders and the erring officials.
Strict monitoring must; Punish erring officials
S Lakshmi
For land-starved Kerala, orderly and regulated construction of highrises is inevitable. The lapses and violations are reported only after such structures are already constructed, and occupied. The vigil by authorities must be in place, at every part of the construction. There is no point in demolishing the four apartment complexes for violation of CRZ norms. In future, there must be strict monitoring of all new constructions. The erring officials, who are hand-in-glove and responsible for such deliberate violations must be punished in an exemplary manner to serve as a warning for others.
Express’ take
There was near-unanimity among debaters who put the blame squarely on the authorities concerned for granting building permits in gross violation of existing norms. However, occupants of the high-rises did not come in for flak. Express is of the view that the builders and the authorities were hand in glove to flout the Coastal Regulation Zone rules. There are enough laws restricting building and industrial activities along the coast. What we need is strict enforcement of rules and award deterrent punishment to those who break rules.