THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Local Administration Department will host a website on unauthorised structures in the State. The initiative is part of an action plan to check violation of the Kerala Municipal Building Rules, weed out corruption in the department and civic bodies and curb unethical business practices.

Sources said the department has worked out the details of the website in consultation with the Town and Country Planning Department and heads of local self-Government institutions. A strategy has been worked out to collect details of the unauthorised structures in each corporation, municipality and panchayat. Corporation and municipal authorities will be directed to collect details regarding layout violations and road encroachments with photographs in their respective limits. Department officials will process the data provided by the local bodies and post it on the website.

Considering the fact that building rule violations are rampant in cities and towns, the initial focus will be on the five corporations, especially Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, and all 53 municipalities. Beside the photograph of the building, the website will contain details such as the survey number of the building, the corporation or municipal ward concerned and the district. If a builder has violated the approved layout and constructed a residential or commercial complex, details of the approved plan and the violations will be specified. Potential buyers can thus know whether a construction company or individual has defied the rules. As the Government has decided to crack down on illegal structures in a time-bound manner, the department will caution the buyers against investing money in residential and commercial structures that have violated the rules. Department sources said Non-Resident Indians invest huge sums without ensuring whether the builders have complied with the building rules. The initiative is aimed at making the process transparent. It is also expected to put an end to the corrupt practices in issuing stay orders and special sanction.

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