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| Malls of influential people spared from sealing in Srinagar | | | ET Report
srinagar, Dec 8: Even as the State High Court has sought sealing of commercial complexes in Srinagar for not having ensured parking facility in the basements of these buildings, around a dozen such buildings have not been sealed.
While a Srinagar Municipal Corporation handout has confirmed that not all the 47 shopping complexes have been sealed, it seems to be case of "favoritism" whereby some influential businessmen have been tactfully spared from the orders for sealing as issued by the High Court.
The shopkeepers whose shops have been sealed accused the SMC of having grabbed millions as "mithai" from the shopping complexes which have not been sealed.
At Munawarabad, two mega malls have not been sealed. The two malls, which had shops and other commercial establishments including restaurant in the basement, instead of the requisite parking lot, have not been sealed.
Sources said the two malls were "exonerated from sealing" after negotiations with the senior officials of the SMC. The negotiations are understood to have been facilitated by a businessman from Kashmir who is close to some Ministers in the ruling coalition. "As per the game plan, the mall owners were asked to temporarily convert some of their shops in the basement into a makeshift parking facility," said sources privy to the deal.
"Following fruitful negotiations with the SMC, the mall owners constructed a makeshift parking in the basement. But in doing so, only a portion of the basement has been converted into parking whereas driving of vehicles into such basements is difficult," said the sources, adding "design of the basements is just not fit for parking lot."
Sources said given the apparent difficulty in driving of vehicles into the makeshift basement parking, the SMC officials asked the mall owners to maneuver their own vehicles into the basement. "The plan is to take picture evidence of cars parked in the basement to give an impression that the parking facility is operational," said an official in know of the matter.
In one of the complexes, the footpath constructed by the Roads and Building department has been torn apart by the private mall owner only to create a ramp into the basement.
Experts however said the makeshift parking needs to be scrutinized. "If a team of experts from the Traffic department is deputed to verify the genuineness of these so called parking lots, they will give a negative report because driving vehicles into the said basement is very difficult," said a town planner in know of the matter.
When contacted a senior official in the SMC said they have come to know about the matter. "We are planning to transfer some of the officers whom we suspect to have played mischief," the official said.
In November 2014, the Division Bench of High Court comprising Justice M H Attar and Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey had directed the SMC to initiate action against 47 shopping mall owners.
These shopping malls, already operational, had not maintained car parking facility in Srinagar city as was necessary as per the building permission granted to them by the SMC. However, SMC had issued notices to owners of these shopping malls and complexes to remove the deviations and provide car parking facilities.
"Sixteen shopping malls and complexes provided car parking while 31 didn't respond to the SMC notice," said an official.
Meanwhile, the people of Srinagar have appealed the High Court to take cognizance of the "symbolic conversion of basement shops into parking space."
"The SMC officials continue to deceive the people through this cheap tactics of getting basement shops being converted into makeshift into parking only to earn money," said a delegation from Karan Nagar area. |
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