The Kochi Corporation on Wednesday informed the Kerala High Court that steps would be taken to close down as many as 245 commercial establishments operating from residential buildings at Panampilly Nagar.
The Corporation Counsel also assured the court that notices would be issued to them in seven days.
The stand of the corporation was that the unauthorised establishments would be sealed. The Corporation gave the undertaking before Justice V. Chithambaresh when a writ petition filed by Sobha Ramachandran and other residents against the functioning of commercial establishments in residential buildings came up for hearing.
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Advocate Commissioner K. Rajesh Kannan appointed by the High Court to verify the licences of business firms functioning from residential buildings at Panampilly Nagar had found that as many as 245 commercial establishments were operating from residential buildings within the detailed town planning scheme area without licences.
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According to the Commissioner’s report, as many as 115 commercial establishments were operating either out of converted garage spaces or by creating commercial spaces in residential buildings. As many as 71 commercial establishments were operating without licences.
The Commissioner also found that as many as 23 establishments that did not require licences were functioning from commercial spaces created in residential buildings.
The court had earlier restrained the Corporation and the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) from issuing permits for the conversion of residential buildings in the residential areas into commercial establishments.