By Arfat Khan
JAMMU: Not only sanitation, the Jammu Municipal Corporation is also facing chronic dearth of officials in its dwindling enforcement wing.
At present, the enforcement wing is comprised of one Chief Enforcement Officer, one Enforcement officer, 3 Assistant Enforcement officers and 13 Enforcement Inspectors.
With a miniscule team of just 18 employees, the EW is struggling to ensure compliance of Building Operation Control Act in a jurisdiction which swells to a large extent resulting into massive violation of buildings byelaws, asserts an official of JMC preferring anonymity.
The JMC has extended its jurisdiction from 23 wards in 1990 to 75 wards in 2020 but the strength of the enforcement team took a nose dive from 45 in 1990 to 18 in 2020.
As per sources, the enforcement wing earlier used to have 3 CEO, 2 EO, 4 AEO and 35 Enforcement Inspectors.
While a section of employees attributes prolong delay in recruitment due to short stint of Commissioners who remained posted in JMC from time to time.
Whereas others blames the politicians-builders nexus for crumbling EW as it suits their nefarious plans of ensuring hassle free constructions of illegal commercial structures.
For the last three decades, on account of disturbance in valley and other hilly areas of UT J&K, there is massive influx of population in JMC limit resulting into steep rise in residential as well as commercial activities.
With surge in construction activities also led to violation of BOCA laws as it’s really “impossible” for overburdened team to effectively keep tab on every lane and bylanes of 75 wards, asserts JMC sources.
Least but not last, the EW is also deprived of essentials head gears and proper shoes and gloves for carrying demolition drives.
It’s no more a secret that the JMC officials move on demolition and anti encroachment drives without wearing head gear which may prove fatal during such operations, avers insiders.
Surprisingly, the last recruitment in JMC was done in 1990 and till then everything is being managed irrationally by promoting class fourth and ineligible candidates to manage the show in sanitation and enforcement wing of the corporation which results into chaos and lack of work culture.
To ensure greater transparency and accountability in enforcement wing, the JMC need to have 4 zones with 2 Joint Commissioners (A), 2 Chief Enforcement Officer, 2 Enforcement Officer and 4 Assistant Enforcement Officer. Besides a team of 60 enforcement inspectors, opined JMC insiders.
This structure not only ensure proper enforcement of buildings bye laws and eliminate violations and corruption but also augment JMC’s revenue by leaving no scope in constructions without approved plans, asserts another employee.
Responding to JKGN queries on irrational manpower in EW, Commissioner Avny Lavasa said “It’s a genuine problem which will soon find a solution as the proposal for reorganisation has been submit to the government for it’s approval”.