There has been a spurt in unauthorised commercial constructions in Munnar, Devikulam Pallivasal, and Chinnakanal grama panchayats of the Devikulam taluk despite a Kerala High Court order that no-objection certificate (NOC) by the Revenue Department was required for all such buildings.
The court had on January 22, 2010 ordered that all commercial buildings, including resorts, get an NOC before applying for the grama panchayat’s sanction. However, all most all constructions were without the NOC of the Revenue Department.
A rough estimate by the Revenue Department shows that over 300 commercial constructions were without NOC since 2010. A Revenue official to The Hindu on Monday that this ‘liberal’ sanction for construction and building permits indirectly resulted in encroachment of government lands. “If a building constructed without NOC on encroached land gets panchayat sanction, it was in a way making the construction legal,” he said.
The court also had categorically said that the Revenue, Forest, Police Departments and local bodies should ensure that no commercial construction took place without the Revenue Department’s NOC.
The court order was on a public interest litigation filed by the Environmental Protection Committee, Muthalakkodam, and One Earth One Life against unauthorised constructions in environmentally sensitive Munnar.
The official said that all permits, including those for construction, completion and D&O licence (for operation), were liberally issued and all benefits, including electricity and water connection, were acquired by the commercial buildings. “This was the main reason for works continuing even after stop memos were issued by the Revenue Department,” he said.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau also submitted a report that there was largescale corruption in issuing licence by the grama panchayats in Devikulam taluk. The official also said that the panch had taken decision on all applications for NOC from 2010 in the four grama panchayats.
The Revenue Department had declined NOC for applications which were found violating land assignment rules and lease agreements.
Panchayat officials said that they had issued the licence for commercial buildings without the NOC as there was no directive from the government in this regard.
However, the order issued by Principal Secretary, Local-self Government Department, to the panchayat deputy directer, Idukki, said that all steps be taken based on the court order and a report submitted to him. The order was also made available to the secretaries of all the four grama panchayats.
