Pub and bar owners have, over the years, dealt with administrative blows raining down on them. Watering holes in the city, including several major pubs and bars were shut down after the Supreme Court directive banning liquor vendors within 500 metres of highways. Since most of these crisscrossed through the heart of the city pub owners were badly hit.
The latest ruling, this time by the Karnataka High Court, says that pub and bar owners should produce occupancy certificates for buildings constructed post 1977 and structural stability certificates for structures that came up before. This has dealt a major blow to business.
Authorising BBMP engineers to issue Occupancy Certificate (OC) and structural stability certificate is a way to allow engineers to make a quick buck. The court must monitor the process to ensure that the court direction is not misused and the actual purpose is served, said N. Mukund, general secretary, Citizens' Action Forum (CAF).
"The high court must set up a panel or monitor the way the OC and stability certificates are issued. Actually, the OC should be issued only if a building has complied with the sanctioned building plan by the BBMP. I doubt if all these buildings have obtained and followed a building plan. The issuance of an OC for high rise structures requires No Objection Certificates from different agencies including the BWSSB, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Bescom and Fire and Emergency departments. Such being the case, the getting OC in 30 days will be a real challenge," he explained.
However, the new ruling has become a blessing in disguise for BBMP engineers who have now been authorized to provide structure stability certificate and Occupancy Certificate (OC). The Court should pull up the engineers if they fail to deliver in 30 days. The court must also monitor the certificates to see if norms are followed.
