62,000 Commercial Property Claim Clashes With 7,951 Cases Reported To Supreme Court
· Free Press Journal
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Bhopal Municipal Corporation's (BMC) crackdown on commercial activities in residential areas has come under scrutiny over a major discrepancy in the figures in its Action Taken Report (ATR) submitted to the Supreme Court.
After the Aug 5 Supreme Court hearing, corporation officials had claimed that more than 62,000 commercial properties had been identified for allegedly carrying out commercial activities in residential zones.
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The BMC's zone-wise figures show a total of 7,617 cases, while the affidavit mentions 7,951 cases, leaving a further difference of 334 cases.
However, in an affidavit prepared for the Sep 15 Supreme Court hearing, the corporation has reported only 7,951 cases in which Rule-11 notices were issued. The sharp difference has raised questions over the basis of the earlier 62,000-property figure.
Meanwhile, following the Satya Niketan building collapse in Delhi, which killed seven people and injured 12, the Supreme Court has sought affidavits and reports on compliance with its earlier directions concerning building safety.
The BMC will also have to provide details of dilapidated buildings and action taken against them. The matter is scheduled for hearing on Sep 15 at 2 pm.
190 premises reported closed
The affidavit states that 190 premises were closed and sealed for unauthorised use. Corporation records, however, indicate that only seven establishments were actually sealed, while panchnamas were prepared for the voluntary closure of 183 premises. Another section of the affidavit says 170 premises were closed, of which 165 were subsequently restored after being found compliant with sanctioned occupancy norms, while five remained sealed.
296 illegal construction cases identified
Apart from land-use violations, the corporation has identified 296 cases of unauthorised construction or deviations from sanctioned building plans. Notices were issued under Sections 302(1) and 307(2). Hearings have been completed in 124 cases, while illegal constructions or encroachments were removed in 75 cases.
3-year-old notice remains pending
An electronic showroom in Arera E-1 had received a corporation notice in 2019 over commercial use in a residential area. The High Court subsequently granted a 15-day window before action could be taken. That period expired nearly three years ago, but the corporation has yet to take action.
Zone-wise Rule-11 notices
| Zone | Notices | Zone | Notices |
| ---- | ------: | --------- | --------: |
| 1 | 280 | 11 | 336 |
| 2 | 197 | 12 | 520 |
| 3 | 242 | 13 | 619 |
| 4 | 234 | 14 | 209 |
| 5 | 620 | 15 | 569 |
| 6 | 184 | 16 | 415 |
| 7 | 348 | 17 | 440 |
| 8 | 603 | 18 | 464 |
| 9 | 264 | 19 | 362 |
| 10 | 456 | 20 | 377 |
| 21 | 212 | Total | 7,617 |
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