After the collapse of many buildings in Sohana village, the role of the officials who allowed the illegal construction of high-rise buildings and rampant construction has again come under controversy.
At least 10 buildings in Sohana alone have seven to eight floors. Locals said that hundreds of paying guest houses and illegal buildings such as gyms, grocery stores, and hotels were built in the area due to the permission of the municipal authorities.
Sarvajit Singh, a local resident, said that due to its proximity to Sohana in Mohali city, there has been an uneven increase in high-rise buildings in his village for the past few years. He said that water pumps are operating illegally and paying guest (PG) accommodation is also being run without registration.
‘Who will prosecute this illegal business? Many high-rise buildings have PGs,” added Sarbjit.
Former sarpanch of Sohana, Parvinder Singh Sohana, said that the matter was raised in the MC House meeting but in vain.
Municipal Commissioner T Benith told The Indian Express that they have conducted a survey to identify illegally constructed high-rise buildings in the city and the process will be initiated to seal those buildings with immediate effect.
“We have identified PG and illegally constructed hotels. Soon, we will seal all these buildings,” the commissioner added.
Taking information about the activities after the rescue operation in the evening, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain said that the district administration will give justice to Drishti and Abhishek, who lost their lives due to serious human negligence.
She said that strict measures will be taken to prevent excavation in the district without proper precautions. Competent authorities will monitor the situation so that no such mishap can be avoided in future. He assured that a magisterial inquiry would be conducted in due course.
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