KOCHI: In the wake of the withdrawal of the controversial orders on Methran Kayal and Kadamakkudy, it has come to light that the government had issued over 20 orders in the last couple of weeks in a bid to appease the voters as well as vested interests.
From February till the announcement of polls in the first week of March, several illegal high-rises and commercial complexes were regularised. The applications for these projects were pending with the local self-government department for over three years.
From mid-February, the LSGD issued the maximum number of orders for regularisation of unauthorised buildings, acquitting officials who have been facing disciplinary action and even reinstating suspended officials.
Some of the GOs which hurriedly settled long-pending applications are 1126 dated 4/3/16, 837 dated 26/2/16, 1175 dated 4/3/2016, 1142 dated 4/3/2016, 1014 dated 2/3/2016, 829 dated 25/2/2016 and 870 dated 26/2/2016.
An unauthorised high-rise commercial building at Mamangalam in Kochi was regularised on February 26. As per the GO -837/16 , LSGD secretary Muhammad Haneesh asked the building owner to pay a compounding fee of Rs 81.89 lakh to regularise the building. Surprisingly, the owner submitted a review petition on the same date based on which the LSGD slashed the compounding fee from Rs 81.89 lakh to Rs 21.89 lakh.
The Kochi corporation has been asked to issue occupancy certificate to the building based on the compliance of norms for regularisation. Through another GO 1014/16 dated March 2, the government gave licence to an eye clinic in an ‘F class’ commercial building which is in violation of the norms in Thalassery.
As per norms, clinics or hospitals with an area of 150 M2 can’t be allowed in commercial buildings. Their application was pending since 2013. The LSGD gave the licence citing that the building owner had surrendered 8.43 cents of land to Thalassery municipality for road development.
The project director of Poverty Alleviation Unit of Kannur corporation, who was suspended for serious irregularities in implementing the Skill Development Training Programme under SGRY scheme, was reinstated on February 3.
This was done on the flimsy ground that he will retire in a short period of five-and-a- half months. Through another order 1028/2016, the government acquitted three LSGD officials who have been facing disciplinary action for fund misappropriation.
