According to the sources, the wing has been functioning with a skeleton staff since June 1996, when 75 per cent of its staff members, including 11 inspectors, a superintendent and a assistant were sent on deputation to the Municipal Corporation. "Four inspectors were however repatriated last year, but they are just not enough along with the office strength of three (an assistant, a clerk and a typist being shared by the different departments in the Estate Office) at present," sources say.

This wing is responsible to check all sorts of misuse of premises in the city. In the absence of required staff, the wing is not able to carry out even the routine work with court cases against the office, on resumption notices to the violators, also piling up with the passage of time. It is learnt that the department is currently dealing with over 131 court cases, over 350 cases of misuse of residential premises for commercial exploitation, wherein schools, shops, guest houses, health clubs and beauty parlours are being run in the houses.

"We are unable to pursue any more cases though we are aware of clear violations by many residents in the city. The process is lengthy and tedious and then, half of the time we have to be present in the court," the employees said. They said their requests to the higher authorities in the Estate Office have yielded no results.

Refusing to be quoted, a Estate Office official admitted to such a problem, but said, "the matter is being sorted out. Actually, the inspectors who were repatriated to the wing by the MC had to be put on to some other important job in the Estate office."