EO throws rule book out for govt building

Fails to pull up CITCO-run hotel for violation of bylaws

When it comes to tightening the noose around violators of building bylaws in the city, officials of the UT Estate Office (EO) do so quite dutifully, but when it comes to government buildings, it seems the UT Administration conveniently turns a blind eye towards the violations.

As per EO bylaws, boundary wall of building are supposed to have a standard structural design, which is a brickwork pattern — the height of the wall is also standardised. But for the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation's (CITCO) recently renovated Hotel Shivalik View in Sector 17, the rules have been thrown to the wind.

The hotel has erected pillars and is constructing a concrete wall on its rear side facing Jan Marg. The height of the wall has also been increased from the EO norms.

It is pertinent to mention that the UT Estate Office has served notices in Sector 8 and 9 in over two dozen plots where they found that the standard dimensions and structural design specifically for the boundary walls were not followed.

When contacted, Assistant Estate Officer Rahul Gupta, said, "I will have to check it."

An empaneled architect with the UT Estate Office, on conditions of anonymity, said: When it comes to private buildings, the officials go by the book but when it comes to their own buildings they go soft and even overlook violations. Infact, CITCO is a corporation and its hotels are profit making ventures, So why should they not be treated with the same yardstick as has been used in the case of other two hotels in the same lane?"

Interestingly, this is not the first time that CITCO has cocked a snook at the building bylaws.

In another violation, done years ago and yet to be rectified by EO, the hotel has cut its boundary wall and the plot next to the hotel facing Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) is being used as a parking lot for hotel guests.

... contd.

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