Letters: Real estate check

This refers to the editorial "Zero tolerance" (April 18). The Allahabad High Court's judgment is correct and blatant violations and deviation from approved building plans should be demolished. Allowing such deviations goes against all the norms of safety and leads to unavoidable tragedies where the gullible public pay the price. It was only in November last year the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of illegal floors built in the Campa Cola society in Mumbai. These constructions - that violate every rule - are possible because of the real estate-bureaucrat nexus. The real estate Bill to be tabled in Parliament, which for curious reasons has been deferred, should consider provisions to protect buyers from illegalities and hold the builders and authorities who approve these buildings responsible for any tragedy. After similar buildings came up in Bangalore, the municipal authorities proposed to enact a law popularly referred to as "akrama-sakrama" to regularise these deviations by levying penalties. Whether the government takes such a stand is, of course, uncertain.

H N Ramakrishna Novi, Michigan

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