Violations by hoteliers

11/11/2018

The Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) ordered in over two dozen violations by the hoteliers in the major tourist resort of Jammu region have remained stayed during the past several years due to failure of the concerned Law Officers to get the interim orders vacated or modified. Moreover, Tourism Department is showing no interest in finalization of new Master Plan by the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) Hyderabad, which was entrusted the task nearly seven years back. Demolition notices were issued by the Patnitop Development Authority while as in other cases Jammu and Kashmir Special Tribunal passed orders of compounding of violations. However, both demolition notices and orders of the J&K Special Tribunal were challenged by the violators before the High Court and accordingly interim orders were passed. "There is no change in the status of all these cases as the same were never vigorously pursued by the concerned Law Officers.
Due to failure of the Law Officers to get the interim orders vacated or modified, the orders passed by the Patnitop Development Authority have remained unimplemented during the past several years, sources further said. Similar is the fate of the violations detected by the Forest Department and in several cases of forest land encroachments notices were issued to the violators but they obtained stay orders from the courts and since then there is no change in the status of such cases. Several hoteliers have encroached the forest land by shifting the boundary pillars installed by the Forest Department but no action is being taken and inordinate delay on the part of concerned Law Officers in getting the interim orders of the High Court vacated or modified by placing before it the relevant record. The Tourism Department has failed to initiate steps for finalization of new Master Plan for Patnitop by the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) Hyderabad, which was entrusted the task nearly seven years back. However, despite lapse of several months the CEPT is neither coming forward with the final draft of the Master Plan nor responding positively to the communiqués of the Patnitop Development Authority and the dilly-dallying approach on the part of CEPT is notwithstanding the fact that 80% payment for preparation of Master Plan has already been made to it by the Patnitop Development Authority.

Photo Gallery

BSE Sensex

NSE Nifty