Investigation regarding the possible anomalies in granting permits for building construction within the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation limits between 2005 and 2012 started here on Wednesday with a team of investigators led by Vigilance Town Planner K.V. Abdul Malik visiting the Corporation Office and asking the Corporation Secretary to handover the concerned files immediately.
The probe was ordered by Minister for Urban Development Manjalamkuzhi Ali as a response to the petition submitted to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy by convener of the Anti-corruption campaign committee K. P. Vijayakumar recently.
The investigation will be carried out by the vigilance wing of the Department of Local Self- Governance. The investigating team will be led by Chief Town Planning Officer Eapen Verghese. The team has been directed to submit a report to the government within one month.
The investigation will be limited to the administrative level. After going through the files concerning the permits from the Corporation, the team would visit the said buildings to check whether they have followed all rules. The team will also figure out if they had followed all procedures and norms to obtain the permits and if they had followed the construction regulations. If any anomalies are found, the team would recommend action against the concerned officers in the report.
There had been complaints against various buildings and apartment complexes in Kozhikode city in the last few years. Various public action committees were formed alleging malpractices in granting permits. It was only a week ago that the vigilance court accepted a complaint against a building in Nellikode. The activists of the committee have petitioned the investigating officers to inquire about the 10 controversial buildings in the city in the first phase of their investigation.
This includes a 40-storey building, the construction of which is undergoing in Karapparamba.
