KOCHI: Allegations of serious violations of building rules and corruption have rocked Kochi corporation. A revenue officer was suspended and a probe ordered into five different cases of alleged building rule violations and charges of bribery on Wednesday.
Corporation councillors, in the council meeting held on Wednesday, alleged that some officials are taking bribes in the name of standing committee chairpersons to cover up building rule violations that are rampant.
Mayor M Anilkumar on Wednesday asked the public not to bribe officials for availing services from the local body. “If you notice any corruption, even by the mayor, the public should write directly to the chief minister,” he said.
According to PS Viju, CPM councillor from Palluruthy, “Adarsh Chandran, a revenue inspector with corporation’s Vyttila zonal office sought Rs 50 lakh from a builder for covering up building rules violations. The building at Vyttila was constructed violating norms several years ago. The corporation later charged around Rs 2.9 crore as building tax, including it under unauthorized construction category. Though the building owner moved high court challenging the corporation’s tax claim, the court stated that tax should be paid. Chandran tampered with corporation’s registers to facilitate non-payment of Rs 3.43 crore, the building tax and its interest.” The officials “hid” the files, in which details of tax the builder had to pay the corporation were recorded, and created a new file, he added.The mayor informed the council of the decision to suspend the revenue inspector.
“Chandran told the builder that bribe amount was for sharing with development standing committee chairman. In another case, when a building owner sought to correct mistakes in the usage category of a building at Vyttila, Chandran sought Rs 2 lakh. I have the voice recording of their conversation. In that case, Chandran said that the money had to be shared with town planning standing committee chairman,” Viju said.
In another case, councillor Benedict Fernandez alleged that another corporation official took a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a builder. In another case of alleged anomalies, corporation officials issued a completion certificate to a building at Vyttila constructed violating parking and other norms.
Even real estate regulatory authority, an independent body that regulates the real estate sector in the country, pointed out serious violations in this case, said Anilkumar.
MG Aristotle, councillor from Kadavanthra, said that a multi-storeyed building constructed near Pullepady rail overbridge a few years ago is protruding onto the bridge. An apartment complex at Pachalam with six units doesn’t have a parking lot and also violated norms related to the setback area, he added.
