Srinagar, Sep 22: People in Srinagar expressed anger on Thursday against Lake Conservation and Management Authorities (LCMA) for failing to grant them building permission despite the assurances that the online permission will be provided to people in a time-bound manner.
Scores of people from the city told Rising Kashmir that since the department launched online permission to ease the issues faced by the people, however, the online service has added to people’s woes. As they are unable to see which department has stopped their permission?
The public also complained that the aim of launching the online building permit was to provide relief and end human intervention in the permit. But people are still forced to visit the department to check the status of their permissions, which doesn’t show where the permission is lying.
A senior official of the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority told Rising Kashmir that there are “several other departments or branches that have to look into the permission, which takes time.” However, the officer said the Executive Engineer (Civil) retired a few weeks back and the department has made internal arrangements due to which people are facing a bit of inconvenience.
Nazir Ahmad Mir told Rising Kashmir that he has applied for the building permission two months ago and to date, he is unaware in which department his permission is lying. He continued when he was checking the same thing online, it was only showing pending.
Ahmad also stated that “it is the poor people suffering and those who have approached the department are getting their permission within no time.” While the poor are forced to wait for several months.
The people also complained that “if their permission were not provided till next month, they wouldn’t be able to execute the construction work, citing the low temperature”
According to department insiders, some branches provide “permission quickly, while others take their time.” According to them, “Assistant Commissioner of Revenue, NAZOOL, and Collector LCMA are taking no time to check the status and are forwarding the same to others where it gets stuck for months.”
The offices of the “Chief Town Planner, executive office II, LCMA are among the offices that are delaying the process of the permission.”
The people of Srinagar have urged the higher authorities to direct the concerned department to provide building permission on a fast-track basis to avoid the illegal raising of structures in the city.
Meanwhile, an official of the LCMA told Rising Kashmir that he would look into the matter.
