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Officials, professionals hand in glove with builders
DHARMENDRASINH CHAVDA
As if the building mafia was not enough, the Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC) and the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority
(AUDA) contributed equally to the flourishing illegal construction
trade in the city. Besides, there are any number of architects and
engineers willing to do the builders' bidding.
On
paper, there is everything — the zoning regulations, the bylaws
and the rules. The AMC's Town Development Office and the office
of the Chief Town Planner in AUDA examine every building plan before
affixing their stamp of approval. But that's about all they do.
Most
builders these days make two plans: one which is submitted for approval
and is, therefore, technically perfect, and the other what they
actually want to construct. In the second plan, all sorts of changes
are made to cut costs and also to make the accommodation attractive
for the lay buyer. Many builders are brazen enough to print this
second plan in their brochures.
Says
renowned architect Yatin Pandya, "If the builders and contractors
are greedy, the architects show them the ways. We are supposed to
safeguard the interests of the society. But most of us failed. Instead
of showing creativity, we became pimps.''
Last
year, the Gujarat High Court had expressed its displeasure over
the role of architects and engineers. "They have to act as
per the approved plans...They do not have to act merely as per the
desire or advice of the builder/owner,'' the court had stated, asking
the AMC to identify and blacklist the black sheep.
AUDA
and AMC are supposed to inspect the building at various stages of
construction and certify that these have been built according to
the approved plan. Otherwise, they can freeze construction, ask
the builder to demolish the illegal portion and, if he does not,
AUDA or AMC can demolish it on their own. But the builders' money
ensures that the officials do not inspect or, if they do, do not
record what they see.
Once
the building is complete, a demolition notice is dutifully served.
The builder goes to court, gets a stay and the matter drags on for
years. In between, the builder gets electricity, water and sewerage
connections and sells off the flats. By the time the case is decided,
he has made his packet, the officials and politicians have got their
cuts, and the buyers are left to face the consequences. This has
become the standard practice.
There
are examples when some buildings were constructed without an approved
construction plan. Some others were raised on the land the builders
did not own. In some cases, the authorities themselves gave such
plots to influential people. On the posh Drive-in road, a plot reserved
for a utility centre was split and part of it given to IAS and IPS
officers for constructing houses. The officers went a step further.
They constructed commercial buildings, flats, and many just sold
off the plots at a premium. Another plot in a posh locality in the
western part of the city, which was reserved for a fire station,
was given away to a builder. Now, a residential-cum-commercial complex
stands there.
C.G.
Road, the city's commercial hub, is a classic example of how the
authorities have raped the laws. The builders got plans approved
for nursing homes, but went on to construct big showrooms, shopping
and office complexes. Even parking spaces in buildings were converted
into shops and offices.
The
AMC simply looked the other way. Later, it got an architect for
redesigning C.G. Road to provide parking spaces. He made such a
design that a fire tender cannot approach many buildings, most of
which lack inbuilt fire safety features. Now the same architect
is on an official committee, constituted following High Court orders,
to fix responsibility on erring officials.
Other stories in the series
»February
10, 2001: The
politician is the builder's best friend here
»February
9, 2001: Builders were
crooks, govt was an accomplice
»February
8, 2001: They built on quicksand of greed
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