The Hindu : Front Page : Probe on into source of `fake' orders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 23, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Probe on into source of `fake' orders

N.J. Nair

Government Orders duplicated with perfection; civic chiefs blamed for laxity

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Crime Branch has started an inquiry in the case relating to issuance of `fake' orders by the Local Self-Government Department granting zoning exemptions and plan alterations for residential and commercial complexes in different parts of the State.

The Government ordered the inquiry after stumbling upon an order issued by the department on November 5, 2004 granting permission for a building in Ward 2 falling under Block 35 of Palakkad municipality. The order, `G.O (Rt) No. 4147/2004 (LSGD,' in question was signed by a Deputy Secretary of the department.

Though the order appeared to have been issued as per specifications laid down to this effect by the Government, it was found that another order had been issued earlier under the same number authorising an under secretary of the department to go to the High Court for filing an affidavit, sources said.

The duplication of the number gave way to doubts and the department is learnt to have collected vital leads about many other instances of similar orders having been issued without the knowledge of the Ministry or the Secretariat itself.

Evidence collected

Two Crime Branch officials from Palakkad reached here on Friday last and collected documents from the Chief Town Planner's office and have started tracing the `order' to its source. Most of these orders are suspected to have been issued on applications from North Kerala.

According to the rules, applications for granting zoning exemption are first submitted to the local body concerned. If any application is rejected, the applicant can go on appeal to the Local Self-Government Department. The department then seeks the report of the Chief Town Planner (CTP) and a final decision is taken on the basis of the CTP's report.

Since the Government orders are simulated with extra caution and due perfection, even the officials concerned would not suspect its bona fides. Department sources said that this was not the first time a case of issuance of fake order surfaced itself. Five years ago, the CTP's office had expressed doubts about an order granting exemption for constructing a commercial complex in Thiruvananthapuram, but the case was not pursued, sources said.

The lackadaisical approach of the heads of local self-government institutions is one of the main reasons that has presumably brought about a situation where such orders have come to pass muster. More often than not, civic authorities throw caution to the winds by not waiting for intimation from the Government and allowing the applicants to start construction or make plan alterations on the basis of the duplicate copy of the order presented by them. This has led many to believe that illegal constructions may have come up in different parts of the State in violation of rules, inflicting heavy loss to the exchequer. This could also lead to initiation in due course of a demolition drive to bring down illegal structures raised on the strength of such orders, sources said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page