Tuesday, Jul 08, 2003
Tuesday, Jul 08, 2003 |
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Kerala
By Our Staff Reporter
The outcome of the inspection was not immediately known. There were unconfirmed reports that some unaccounted money was seized from the Thrissur Corporation office. Code named "Operation Nirman'', the Vigilance inspection was conducted to verify allegations of corruption and irregularities in the assessment of building tax and issuing of building permits and completion certificates. A senior VACB official said though a single-window system existed at all the Corporation offices for issuing building permits to citizens within an hour, there were complaints from the public that the issuing of permits was being purposely delayed for the purpose of extorting illegal gratification from applicants. Most of the complaints received by the Vigilance were reportedly regarding the issuing of building completion certificates. It was alleged that building inspectors took money for issuing building completion certificates without visiting the construction site and verifying whether there was any plan violation. If the floor area of the building is more than 300 sq.m., the building inspector's clearance certificate had to be certified by the Assistant Town Planner (ATP) prior to being send to the revenue wing for building tax assessment. A complainant alleged that the going rate for building inspectors and ATPs was Rs. 1,000. The rate could go up depending on the area and finish of the building. The movement of files in the Corporation offices was regulated by clerks in charge of the file registers. "The going rate for expediting the movement of a file is Rs. 300 and upwards for the clerk alone. The file can appear or disappear depending on the money the applicant, architect or contractor is willing to shell out. Some staff are known to keep a separate diary in which they enter the reference numbers of the files which are to be expedited,'' an official said. The Vigilance assessment is that at least 40 to 50 building completion certificates are issued daily at the Corporation offices. Most offices have five to six building inspectors and up to three or four ATPs. The assessment of building tax is another major area of corruption being looked into by the Vigilance. The building tax is fixed on the basis of a foolproof point system which considers various parameters such as location, flooring, woodwork, etc. "The system for tax assessment is diluted by reporting that teak wood used in a house is country wood and marble flooring is actually ceramic,'' an official said. It is alleged that most of the corruption in the Corporation offices are facilitated by retired staff members. "Public entry is restricted to the Corporation office till 3 p.m. But all doors open for these middlemen,'' sources said. As part of the check, the Vigilance would also verify allegations of building rule violations, in-action in cases of encroachment and failure in the imposition and collection of various fines and dues. The Vigilance inspection would also look into alleged irregularities in the maintenance of the birth and death register as well as the reported delay in issuing birth and death certificates. A VACB official said the records kept at the Corporation offices would be individually perused and action recommended in cases where irregularities are noticed. There would be random re-verification of newly-constructed buildings assessed recently by the Revenue Department for fixing building tax. Action would be recommended against errant officials. The Vigilance has urged the public to bring to its notice individual cases of graft or irregularities at Corporation offices. The operation was planned by a team headed by the IG (Vigilance), Siby Mathew. The check which started at 3.30 p.m. was continuing late into the night.
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