Jharkhand High Court criticizes JNAC sluggishness on action against building plan deviations and basement encroachments in Jamshedpur

Instructed to provide full details in two weeks

Only 42 basements of 107 multi-storey buildings vacated

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, August 1: The Jharkhand High Court expressed its dissatisfaction over the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) for its sluggish efforts in addressing map deviations and basement encroachments in the city. The court instructed JNAC to provide comprehensive details within two weeks.

During the hearing, it was revealed that only 42 out of 107 multi-storey buildings had their basements vacated. The complainant’s advocate challenged the affidavit submitted by JNAC, labeling it as fabricated and inconsistent with previously filed documents. The judge reprimanded JNAC officials and demanded a detailed report.

On Wednesday, July 31, the High Court inquired about the number of approved multi-storey buildings, instances of map deviations, the presence of rainwater harvesting systems, and the actions taken against those who deviated from the approved plans. Justices R. Mukhopadhyay and P.K. Srivastava ordered JNAC to submit information on these points within two weeks.

In its response, JNAC’s stated that Jamshedpur had 107 multi-storey buildings over 15 meters high, with illegal constructions in the basements or parking areas of 46 of these buildings. Of these, action had been taken to vacate 42 basements.

A three-member committee of advocates appointed by the High Court had investigated illegal constructions in the JNAC area and submitted a report, which found significant violations of building bylaws. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) highlighted that 1,246 illegal buildings had been constructed in the JNAC area by 2023, with 57 buildings still under construction. The petitioner called for the demolition of these illegal buildings and a halt to ongoing illegal constructions.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer argued that despite a PIL filed 13 years ago identifying 46 buildings with map deviations, no additional constructions had been reported in that time. The lawyer urged the court to take stringent action in the matter.