After the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) claimed that 12 commercial complexes in the city were found to have functional car parking facilities after inspection, the J&K High Court today tasked a Court Commissioner to personally visit the sites and submit the report.
The court, meanwhile, has directed the SMC to continue its sealing drive. The corporation has been directed to seal commercial complexes/structures without vehicle parking facilities.
Huge vehicular traffic on city roads has made the population suffer. Consumers, who visit commercial complexes, generally park their vehicles on the road side. It has become hazardous for people in general and for thousands of people who come from rural areas and pass through the city every day in particular, the court observed.
“The civic laws are made for the benefit of general public. Commercial interest of one individual cannot be permitted to ride roughshod over the civic rights of general public,” the court stated in its orders, while vacating an earlier stay order granted to the owner of a commercial complex located at the Residency Road here.
The court had earlier order the authorities concerned to seal the commercial complex for not having parking space for cars. However, the proprietor had managed to get the order stayed. The complex is owned by a senior Congress leader.
In its status report to the High Court, the SMC had submitted it had so far sealed 19 commercial complexes in Srinagar city for not maintaining the functional car parking facilities as mandated under the civic laws.
It had also submitted that 12 commercial complexes were found to be having functional car parking space after inspection and were not sealed.
“The court will like to verify the report filed by the SMC Commissioner by deputing a Court Commissioner on the sites mentioned in the compliance report. We accordingly direct the Municipal Magistrate (Sub-Judge), Srinagar, to visit the sites of 12 commercial complexes/structures, details whereof are given in the compliance report, and find whether these commercial complexes/structures have actually provided functional car parking facilities and file a report before the next date,” a Division Bench of the High Court stated in its orders in a PIL about the master plan violations in the Srinagar city.
The court has further directed the SMC Commissioner to give exhaustive list of all the commercial complexes/structures, which were existing in the city.
“The Commissioner shall give full details about the vehicle parking facilities provided in these commercial complexes/structures within a week,” the court said.
Meanwhile, any other commercial complex structure which is found without vehicle parking facility shall be sealed by the SMC and compliance report filed before the next date of hearing, it added.
SMC told to seal commercial complexes without parking
