Coimbatore Consumer Cause has asked the Coimbatore Corporation to have a rethink on collecting deposits while issuing plan approval.
The civic body had a couple of months ago passed a resolution stating that it intended to collect deposits at Rs. 75 a sq.m. for residential buildings and Rs. 150 a sq.m. for commercial buildings while issuing plan approval.
Refund
After the completion of the structure, if the builder had deviated from the approved plan, he or she would have to forego the deposit.
If not, the civic body would refund the deposit. The Corporation sent the resolution to the State Government, which also published the same in its gazette.
Taking note of the move, the consumer organisation’s Secretary K. Kathirmathiyon said that the move was ill conceived because it would help builders get away by making them forego the deposit, which was a small amount.
Punishment
The Corporation should bring under lock and seal or demolish the buildings, which would be the right punishment.
It could also promote corruption in that officials for a consideration pass off structures with deviation as being rule-complaint.
Deviation
Mr. Kathirmathiyon wanted to know what the Corporation meant by deviation while ushering in the move to collect deposits.
If builders were to alter structure internally without changing the overall built-up area or if they were to make minor changes to the plan, would the civic body still construe the same as deviation?
The aforementioned changes could definitely not be equated with deviations like constructing an additional floor or changing the built-up area or the plan altogether.
And, the Corporation’s move appeared to only be eyewash as it could cite this to say that it acted against the wrongdoers.
Adopt stringent measures
Recalling an earlier, similar move of the civic body, Mr. Kathirmathiyon said that the Corporation had earlier proposed to levy Rs. 0.50 a sq.ft. as fine in 1993 for buildings with deviation.
Then in 2003 it changed the amount to Rs. 0.25 a sq.ft. This was unacceptable because the Corporation should have increased the amount. But it had decreased.
He wanted the Corporation to adopt stringent measures against those violating the rules and not resort to easy actions like collecting forfeitable deposits.
