By News Desk
The Block Development Officer (BDO) of Gund in the Sonamarg area of Ganderbal district has issued a building permit to a Punjab resident, violating High Court orders and the Sonamarg Master Plan, according to a report by Daily Excelsior.
Farooq Ahmad Baba, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA), has called for an inquiry into the BDO’s unauthorized action. Following this, the government transferred the BDO, assigning Additional Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Gulzar Ahmad, additional responsibilities as CEO of the SDA.
Last week, CEO Baba wrote a letter (CEO/SDA/2024/484-85 dated 17-05-2024) to the Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), requesting an investigation into the building permit granted by the BDO Gund to Charanpreet Singh Grewal, son of Gurender Singh Grewal, a resident of Model Town, Ludhiana, Punjab. The permit, issued under order No: PYT/SM/19 dated 22-02-2024, allowed Grewal to construct a second storey of a residential house on his land in Halqa Panchayat Sonamarg-A.
However, the BDO’s permission was for the second floor of a non-existent building, exceeding his authority and defying High Court directives. CEO Baba’s letter highlighted that the BDO had no jurisdiction to issue such a permit and that no ground floor had been constructed on the specified land.
This story was originally published in thekashmiriyat.co.uk. Read the full story here.
